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An extra week to reset and prepare didn’t appear to do Michigan much good on Saturday.
The Wolverines laid a clunker against Illinois, falling 21-7 in a game that didn’t feel that close. Mistakes continued to compound throughout the game, highlighted by three turnovers, costly penalties and an inefficient offense.
Not surprisingly, their performance Saturday was their worst of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. They earned an overall grade of 64.3, which was lower than what they received in their 31-12 loss to Texas in Week 2 (66.0).
Here’s a look at the snap counts from Saturday’s loss and other notable grades and trends:
*PFF evaluates every player on every play in multiple facets of the game, such as passing, rushing, receiving, pass blocking, run defense, etc. It is important to note that PFF doesn’t base its grade on the outcome of the play, but rather what a player attempts to do on a given play.
OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS (out of 71)
*Denotes starter
- *Josh Priebe – 71
- *Giovanni El-Hadi – 71
- *Jeffrey Persi – 71
- *Greg Crippen – 71
- *Andrew Gentry – 71
- *Jack Tuttle – 71
- Colston Loveland – 57
- Kalel Mullings – 50
- *Tyler Morris – 46
- Kendrick Bell – 34
- Semaj Morgan – 32
- *Amorion Walker – 29
- *Donovan Edwards – 27
- *Max Bredeson – 26
- Hogan Hansen – 15
- Fredrick Moore – 13
- *Marlin Klein – 11
- Zack Marshall – 4
- Peyton O’Leary – 4
- C.J. Charleston – 4
- Evan Link – 2
- Benjamin Hall – 1
DEFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS (out of 62)
- *Jyaire Hill – 58
- *Quinten Johnson – 56
- *Ernest Hausmann – 55
- *Jaishawn Barham – 53
- *Kenneth Grant – 47
- Aamir Hall – 47
- *Mason Graham – 46
- *Makari Paige – 42
- *Derrick Moore – 38
- *Josaiah Stewart – 38
- *Zeke Berry – 37
- TJ Guy – 31
- Trey Pierce – 24
- Ike Iwunnah – 24
- Mason Curtis – 22
- Cameron Brandt – 20
- *Will Johnson – 13
- Brandy Hillman – 8
- Jimmy Rolder – 8
- Jaydon Hood – 8
- Jo’Ziah Edmond – 5
- Chibi Anwunah – 2
Jack Tuttle struggles in first start
Not surprisingly, the seventh-year quarterback received the lowest grade on offense with a dismal 28.7. Accuracy was an issue all game as he finished 20 of 32 passing for 208 yards, but 55 yards came in garbage time during the final 62 seconds. He also turned the ball over twice, fumbling while scrambling for a first down and throwing an interception in the red zone. Once again, Michigan didn’t show much of a downfield passing threat as Tuttle attempted three passes of 20 or more air yards, completing one. Overall, the team received a 30.1 passing grade, which was even lower when it earned a 38.8 mark when Alex Orji passed for just 32 yards in a 27-24 win over USC in Week 4.
Colston Loveland, Kalel Mullings the lone bright spots on offense, again
The junior tight end and fifth-year running back are doing their best to jumpstart this offense. They each received a 75.0 overall grade, which led all regulars. Loveland made an athletic 28-yard catch on a fourth-and-18 in the fourth quarter, but 50 of his 83 receiving yards came after the catch. Mullings only averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 19 attempts but averaged 3.2 yards after contact.
Right tackle Andrew Gentry, making his first start of the season, was the only other player on the first-team offense to record a grade above 60.
Solid pass-block grade despite allowing five sacks
Tuttle was sacked five times and was under pressure on 40% of his dropbacks, but Michigan earned a surprising 72.1 mark in pass blocking – its second-best of the season. Gentry led the way with an 82.6 grade in that category, followed by Mullings (79.2) and center Greg Crippen (76.6).
Mason Graham, Jaishawn Barham lead the defense
Graham, a junior defensive tackle, had the team’s best mark on that side of the ball with an 86.5, recording a team-high four pressure. Barham, a middle linebacker, had a team-high seven tackles and two pass breakups, earning marks above 70 in all four categories: run defense (82.5), tackling (81.0), pass rush (78.9) and coverage (70.8).
Freshmen get their opportunity on defense
The Wolverines were already banged up in the secondary entering the game, and the injury bug hit early after star cornerback Will Johnson exited the game after playing just 13 snaps. Graduate transfer Aamir Hall saw the most snaps in Johnson’s absence, but true freshman cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond also made his first appearance on defense this season, playing five snaps. Freshman Mason Curtis also received his first opportunity on defense, playing 22 snaps in the secondary.
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