Wolverine Digest

Michigan Dominated Michigan State In Several Areas

Michigan did what it always seems to do — play sound, efficient football while leaning on its opponent until you look up at the end of the game and the Wolverines have won by 20 or more.

Brandon Brown

In this story:

Michigan hosted Michigan State in The Battle For Paul Bunyan and took it to the Spartans for 60 minutes, ultimately winning 29-7. Michigan's offensive line mauled Sparty all night long and Blake Corum once again looked like a Heisman hopeful. Aside from some stalling out in the red zone a handful of times, Michigan did whatever it wanted to do. Here are the things worth looking at when dissecting the game snap by snap. 

PFF Top Performers (15 Snap Minimum)

Offense

1. Blake Corum (82.0)

Surprise, surprise — Blake Corum was the best offensive player on the field. The junior back carried the ball a whopping 33 times for 177 yards and a score. He also had a short push pass reception for another touchdown. He was also extremely solid as a pass blocker and while out as a receiver.

2. Ryan Hayes (74.9)

It's also not surprising that an offensive lineman is near the top of this list given the fact that Michigan rushed for 5.3 yards per carry and that JJ McCarthy was not sacked. Hayes played all 81 snaps and was elite as a pass blocker with a grade of 88.6. He wasn't quite as stout as a run blocker, but overall he was the best of a great group.

3. JJ McCarthy (68.6)

McCarthy also played all 81 offensive snaps against the Spartans and had another efficient outing. He went 15-of-25 for 167 yards and a score and also carried the ball seven times for another 50 yards. His runs were timely and often resulted in first downs, which always helps a quarterback's grade. 

Defense

1. Rod Moore (90.8)

The sophomore safety was the best defensive player on the field per PFF by A LOT. No. 19 finished the night with five tackles and another perfectly-read interception. He also had a pass breakup. He only gave up one reception on the night for a measly nine yards and was great as an open-field tackler as usual.

2. Mike Sainristil (79.0)

Sainristil is another name we're used to seeing at the top of these lists. The former wide receiver did give up three catches but they were all very short gains totaling just 13 yards. He finished the night with two tackles and a pass breakup and was in the right spot on just about every play.

3. Mike Morris (78.1)

Morris is another regular among top performers as he seems to be getting better as the year moves along. He only recorded two tackles against the Spartans but one was a half sack and the other was a TFL. He also got a paw up and tipped a pass.

PFF Bottom Dwellers (15 Snap Minimum)

Offense

1. Colston Loveland (44.4)

The freshman tight end actually played a good bit logging 26 snaps. He's been showing some flashes this year but against the Spartans he was targeted just once and was credited with a drop. That's obviously going to hurt a player's grade when his snaps are limited.

2. Cornelius Johnson (48.9)

On a personal level, Johnson probably wants to forget about Saturday night. He fumbled, he jumped offsides on a key fourth down punt attempted by the Spartans and caught just one ball for seven yards despite playing 52 snaps. Johnson was solid as a run blocker, as usual, but obviously struggled in several other areas.

3. Roman Wilson (53.7)

Wilson played 35 snaps, 29 of them in the slot, and was targeted only once. He did catch that pass, but it went for -3 yards, which obviously isn't great for the stat line or the overall grade. Wilson was decent as a run blocker but he just didn't leave much of a mark on the game.

Defense

1. Taylor Upshaw (54.7)

Upshaw only played 18 snaps in the game so he didn't get much of a chance to make an impact. While he was in there, he recorded a solo tackle and also hurried Payton Thorne once. On the rest of his snaps, he wasn't overly effective as a pass rusher.

2. Eyabi Okie (54.8)

For the first time all season, Okie didn't play a really solid game. He logged 22 snaps but didn't record a stat and seemed to struggle a bit as a pass rusher according to PFF. He did have a nice tipped pass that he almost intercepted but outside of that he didn't make much of an impact.

3. Gemon Green  (56.8)

Green played 30 of 52 defensive snaps and had just one tackle. He wasn't as sticky in coverage as he normally is and he also seemed to be a step slow against the run. He was targeted three times resulting in three catches for 61 yards and the lone touchdown to Keon Coleman.

Freshmen Contributors (Snap Count)

Colston Loveland - 26

Will Johnson - 19

Mason Graham - 16

Derrick Moore - 8

Kenneth Grant - 2

CJ Stokes - 2

Darrius Clemons - 1

Total Snap Counts

Snap Counts

The Buzz

Obviously the biggest story of the night is Michigan State's cowardly jumping of Ja'Den McBurrows and Gemon Green.

As evidenced by his grade above, Blake Corum continues to be awesome for a lot of reasons.

The tunnel situation was ugly and so was the final score as Michigan kicked Michigan State's ass.

Published
Brandon Brown
BRANDON BROWN

Home/Football