ANN ARBOR — It’s game week again in Ann Arbor as Michigan comes off a bye to host Wisconsin on Saturday (noon ET, FOX).
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore previewed the matchup inside Schembechler Hall on Monday. Below are some key takeaways from his press conference.
Bye week focus
Moore said the No. 1 goal from the bye week was to get healthy. He feels the Wolverines did that for the most part. From a football standpoint, there were things to improve. As my colleague Ryan Zuke pointed out last week, Michigan has dropped a lot of passes.
“We wanted to attack that,” Moore said. “Creating competition in the receiver room and really working on the fundamentals of how to catch the football and doing that at a high level and making that a priority. Whether that’s ball placement by the quarterback or hand placement by the (pass catcher).”
Michigan’s receiver room, a question mark entering the season, has been inconsistent through four games. Running precise routes, getting separation from defenders and having good timing with quarterback Bryce Underwood are all factors. But even if all those boxes are checked, there’s a final step. Moore said “the worst coaching you can tell a kid is ‘catch the ball.’” Instead, he and his assistants try to be specific with their advice: thumbs touching on high passes; pinkies touching on low passes; see the ball all the way in to the tuck.
Wisconsin has the No. 1 rush defense in the country, allowing just 50 yards per game. Saturday would be a great time for the Wolverines to show some improvement in the passing game.
Youngsters shine
A week of practice with no game meant more time for some of the less experienced players to see action. Moore noted a few who caught his attention, including freshmen wide receivers Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder. “Those guys really stood out, made some plays,” Moore said.
Marsh has played so far as a kick returner and receiver, catching a 30-yard pass and taking a reverse 23 yards for a touchdown against Central Michigan. Browder only played against Central Michigan, seeing 12 snaps on offense. Based on the first section of this story, either (or both) accelerating their learning curve would be a boon to the offense.
Moore also cited freshman running back Jasper Parker, though with Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall carrying much of the load, there’s not much need at that position.
Defensively, Moore mentioned Elijah Dotson, a freshman defensive back who has appeared in three games and had an interception against Central Michigan. The defender who may have stood out the most, according to Moore, was freshman linebacker Nathanial Owusu-Boateng. The four-star recruit ranked No. 145 in the class according to the 247Sports composite has not appeared in a game this season.
“He’s back and he’s feeling good,” Moore said. “He was just in the backfield half the days, and it was good to see him moving around and pushing around. And that just adds to that linebacker room, which I already think is the best one in the country.”
Given that depth, there’s no guarantee Owusu will burn his redshirt this season or even see the field.
Offensive line
Because of injuries, Michigan made some changes to its offensive line the past two games. Two early-season starters at guard, Giovanni El-Hadi and Brady Norton, are “in a good place” health-wise, Moore said.
Unsurprisingly, the coach said El-Hadi’s job was secure whenever he is able to return. That’s not necessarily the case with Norton. “Brady played really well, too, but it will be an open competition,” Moore said. The other contenders include Nathan Efobi and Jake Guarnera.
Guarnera is a sophomore who only played on special teams last season and took advantage when opportunity arose earlier this month. “Got thrown in and became a starter and just went in there and played his tail off,” Moore said. “We’ve just seen a guy that’s played physical, played with the right technique, played the right way and continued to strain.”
Norton and Guarnera will both play, Moore said. The starter will be based on practice this week.