Performance Analysis, Snap Counts, Trends: Michigan vs. Colorado State

Michigan pounded Colorado State for four quarters and several players did some really nice things in the process.

Michigan hosted Colorado State in the season opener on Saturday and cruised to a 51-7 victory without much resistance. The Wolverines got it done on the ground, through the air, on defense and in the kicking game. With the dust now settled, here are a few things worth looking at when dissecting the game snap by snap.

Top Performers (15 Snap Minimum)

Offense

1. Luke Schoonmaker (86.9)

Schoonmaker had just one catch for eight yards in the contest but graded out particularly well as a run blocker. That would explain why 22 of his 28 plays were running plays.

2. Donovan Edwards (78.9)

Edwards carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards and a score and also caught one pass for four yards. He was efficient as a runner despite never really popping for a long gain.

3. Olu Oluwatimi (76.1)

Billed more as a mauling run blocker, Oluwatimi was extremely solid on pass blocking plays. He played 54 snaps out of 69 and definitely seemed to be as good as advertised.

*JJ McCarthy was actually the highest-graded player on offense but he played just 11 snaps. He went 4-for-4 on the day for 30 yards and also had 50 yards rushing and a score.

Defense

1. Jaylen Harrell (91.4)

Harrell finished the day with four tackles and half a sack, but was routinely around the quarterback. Not only did he put his athleticism and pass rushing abilities on display, he played with a very high motor all afternoon.

2. Junior Colson (84.2)

The sophomore linebacker led the team with 10 tackles including five impressive solo stops. His rush defense grades were better than his pass defense grades but he was impressive in all areas on Saturday. 

3. Rod Moore (79.6)

Moore was phenomenal as a tackler and in coverage and obviously recorded Michigan's lone interception. The sophomore safety has been described as rare by the coaches and he showed why in the opener.

Bottom Dwellers (15 Snap Minimum)

Offense

1. Reece Atteberry (45.8)

Atteberry played 15 snaps at center — eight run play and seven pass plays. He was decent on running plays but seemed to struggle quite a bit on passing plays.

2. Trevor Keegan (47.8)

Keegan played 54 snaps and struggled in pass pro. Some of that can probably be explained by the fact that he played most of the game out of position at left tackle. Starting left tackle Ryan Hayes didn't dress and his backup Karsen Barnhart was injured early and didn't return. That resulted in Keegan bumping out to LT, which obviously didn't go very well.

3. Cornelius Johnson (49.9)

Johnson played 29 snaps and finished with two catches for 19 yards. It didn't look like he struggled necessarily, but PFF had him as the lowest-graded wide receiver and credited him with two drops. 

Defense

1. Kalel Mullings (54.2)

Mullings got the start in Nikhai Hill-Green's absence and didn't necessarily light it up. He finished with just two tackles in 23 snaps of action. 

2. Caden Kolesar (57.0)

Kolesar is obviously down the depth chart a bit but he did record 15 snaps in the game against Colorado State. He struggled a bit in coverage according to PFF giving up a reception on the only play he was targeted.

3. RJ Moten (59.7)

Moten was phenomenal as a pass rusher on blitz calls and as a tackler, but struggled in coverage. He was targeted twice and gave up two receptions as he gave up two receptions  

Freshmen Contributors (Snap Count)

CB Will Johnson - 22

TE Colston Loveland - 20

WR Darrius Clemons - 17

DT Mason Graham - 14

LB Jimmy Rolder - 13

RB CJ Stokes - 13

DE Derrick Moore - 12

WR Tyler Morris - 8

WR Amorion Walker - 7

DT Kenneth Grant - 5

DB Kody Jones - 4

LB Micah Pollard - 4

S Keon Sabb - 4

QB Alex Orji - 3

CB Myles Pollard - 3

Snap Counts

• Junior Colson played the most snaps on defense (46) and Trente Jones paced the offense by playing all 69 snaps, likely because his backup — Karsen Barnhart — started the game and left early due to injury.

• Erick All became a father the morning of the game, which might explain why he played less snaps than both Luke Schoonmaker and Joel Honigford. 

• Eyabi Anoma played just 9 snaps but will likely play more with each passing week. He showed why he was a five-star recruiting coming out of high school and recorded the most impressive sack of the game.

• It's pretty crazy that JJ McCarthy made the impression he did in just 11 snaps of action. Imagine what next week could look like when he starts and likely plays north of 40 snaps.

• I said it all of last year and I'll probably keep saying it this year — AJ Henning needs to play more. He recorded just 10 snaps against Colorado State.