The Michigan spring game has now come and gone, with the maize team defeating the blue team 17-7.
Here are key takeaways from the spring game.
Evaluating the quarterbacks
Four quarterbacks appeared in the spring game, with Alex Orji being the starter for the blue team and Davis Warren the starter for the maize team.
- Alex Orji was 13-of-18 for 103 yards and rushed for 19 yards and a rushing touchdown
- Davis Warren was 6-of-9 for 136 yards and two touchdowns
- Jayden Denegal was 2-of-6 for 39 yards with one interception
- Jadyn Davis was 2-of-4 for 20 yards
Orji showcased his speed and had some nice short and intermediate-timing throws. He also threw a couple of inaccurate balls that missed by a wide margin.
Denegal’s interception was a bad one. Scrambling to his right and throwing on the run, he threw it right to a waiting DJ Waller.
Jadyn Davis had good movement in the pocket. Albeit a small sample size, Davis looked like a natural with arguably the highest ceiling in the quarterback room.
Davis Warren had by far the best day as the only quarterback with passing touchdowns. Warren threw a nice deep ball to Kendrick Bell and hit Fredrick Moore on the money for another score.
Jack Tuttle, who head coach Sherrone Moore said was working through some things on the injury front, did not participate.
The spring game is just a small glimpse of how things are trending at every position, including the QB, but based on the output at quarterback during the spring game it seems like the competition is wide open and they’re far from deciding on QB1. Further, the fact Jack Tuttle didn’t play provided even less insight into things. Tuttle is the most experienced quarterback on Michigan’s roster, he was the backup last season, it would make logical sense for him to start the season out as QB1, but things are rarely that simple in football. Stay tuned.
The Year of the Don
Donovan Edwards rushed for 33 yards on five carries, and had speed and bounce to his game, and looked good in limited action. Edwards appears to have bulked up and has added weight and muscle to his frame. Edwards is the cut-and-dry RB1 this season and how good of a season he has will greatly influence the trajectory of Michigan’s offense this season.
Young receivers and tight ends step up
Fredrick Moore caught a deep ball from Jayden Denegal and then later hauled in a pass from Davis Warren and picked up plenty of yards after the catch for a touchdown. In all, Moore had two receptions for 76 yards and the score.
Kendrick Bell, the younger brother of former Michigan wideout Ronnie Bell, had a shining moment as well. Davis Warren let it rip and found Bell, who was running a go-route for a 42-yard touchdown. Bell had two receptions for 53 yards and the score.
Tight end Marlin Klein, who is in line to become TE2 this season, had four catches for 36 yards and showcased some good physicality. Then there’s true freshman Deakon Tonielli who had one reception for 35 yards including 23 yards after the catch. Tonielli looks tough, flashes decent speed, and has future H-Back written all over him.
Standout players on defense and first thoughts on Wink Martindale’s scheme
Michigan’s defense could carry the team this year, especially in the early going of the season while the offense tries to gel with so many new starters (quarterback, receiver, offensive line). A lot of players fared well defensively in the spring. Linebacker Ernest Hausmann had a nice tackle on Donovan Edwards on the first drive. DJ Waller hauled in an interception. Jyaire Hill had a good pass breakup on a sideline deep ball by Jadyn Davis. Zeke Berry and Ja’Den McBurrows made solid plays in pass coverage. Five players had sacks on the day including TJ Guy, Jimmy Rolder, Kechaun Bennett, Cameron Brandt, and Hayden Moore. The defenses tallied 13 tackles for loss on the day, a very impressive number to say the least.
From a defensive schematics standpoint, things don’t appear to be all that different with Wink Martindale as defensive coordinator. There was a perception that Michigan would blitz a lot more with Martindale at the helm, but the unit seemed to have balance and wasn’t overly aggressive dialing up pressure throughout the day. However, this was a glorified practice and the play calls were purposefully vanilla to not give away much of their playbook to opposing teams.
Mixed results at kicker
Michigan fans were spoiled having a generational talent like Jake Moody kick for the Wolverines. James Turner stepped up admirably last season overall, but now it’s Adam Samaha who will be relied upon. Samaha had mixed results on Saturday. Samaha shanked his first attempt, missing by a wide margin to the left from just 30 yards out. However, he would bounce back and nail his other attempt, a try from 31 yards.
