Observations on the first half with Washington, 10-14
Washington converted three red zones for 14 points, and had 4 scoring chances in 6 first half drives; Michigan had no red zones, but replaced their quarterback and drove to 10 second quarter points to get back in the game.
Offense was terrible until Jack Tuttle came in. Tuttle was 3 of 4 for 26 yards, and ran twice for 14 yards. As a result of the change, Donovan Edwards ran 8 times for 77 yards including a 39 yard TD, and caught a 15 yard pass. Kalel Mullings ran 6 times for 20 yards. Alex Orji was 3 of 7 for 15 yards, and ran 3 times for 11 yards; unfortunately, even though he is a great athlete, our offense is one dimensional when he is at quarterback. The offense gained 163 net yards with 122 on the ground, and had 9 first downs; we were two of six in 3rd down conversions. Colston Loveland had 3 cactches for 13 yards. Michigan had one minute more in time of possession, but the Huskies ran 6 more offensive plays. Alphonzo Tuputala led the Husky tacklers with 5 stops.
Defense was not good. Washington gained 283 net yards with 13 first downs, and were 3 of 6 in 3rd down conversions. Will Rogers hit 13 of 20 for 189 yards with 2 TD passes. Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and Makari Paige gave up TDs or long pass plays; our safety coverage is atrocious. Denzel Boston caught 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD. Keluki Latu caught 4 passes for 33 yards. Giles Jackson caught 2 passes for 55 yards and a TD. Rashid Williams caught 2 passes for 21 yards. Cameron Davis caught a 37 yarder. Jonah Coleman ran 7 times for 32 yards. Ernest Hausmann led the Wolverine tacklers with 6 stops.
Special Teams outperformed Washington as they missed two field goals. Dominic Zvada hit his only field goal. Tommy Doman punted 3 times for a 37 yard average with one downed inside the 20. We forced the Huskies into two punts.
If we want to win this game, our defense needs to make the necessary adjustments to put more pressure on Rogers, and our coverage must be tighter. Our offense looks like it could win this game if Tuttle continues to perform well. Go Blue!