It was just the Michigan Wolverines’ spring football game, so technically there were no “winners” or “losers” Saturday at The Big House. However, there were several Wolverines who took strides in a much-needed positive direction.
As expected, all eyes were on junior quarterback Shane Morris. While he didn't deliver an earth-shattering performance, he certainly held his own while leading the Blue Team to a 7-0 victory over the Maize Team.
“I thought our offense had a great day, Team Blue, speaking for my team,” said Morris, who threw the game’s only touchdown pass, a 14-yard strike to receiver Jaron Dukes.
“I thought we had a great day. We moved the ball. There were a lot of plays that we need to improve on, a lot of throws I wish I could have had back. We did well. I thought we did well with where we’re at with our offense.”
During the early goings, Morris looked incredibly off-kilter. He rushed throws, wasn’t accurate and appeared uncomfortable. After halftime, though, was a different story.
During his postgame press conference, coach Jim Harbaugh agreed about Morris’ performance, saying that the third-year quarterback has, at least for the time being, created separation between himself and true freshman Alex Malzone, who started for the Maize Team.
Malzone had a rough go, but he didn’t exactly lose. He did all right, considering that Saturday was his first time in front of a rabid Wolverines crowd. However, he’ll have to greatly improve his accuracy and touch if he hopes to battle Morris for the starting job.
As is, Malzone just isn’t ready for the big time.
Defense Wins
The defense stole the show; there’s no other way to say it. Senior linebacker Joe Bolden and junior linebacker Ben Gedeon were tackling machines. Bolden led the Maize Team with at least 12 tackles (three TFL), but Gedeon, who debuted as a freshman on special teams in 2013, followed with at least six.
Bolden looked great; so did Gedeon. If anything, Michigan fans should be excited about this year’s crop of linebackers.
“The defense as a whole, this past spring, has really improved,” said D-lineman Chris Wormley, who finished the day with a sack. “It’s tough coming in with a new defense, but coach [defensive coordinator D.J.] Durkin is running a hard, tough-nosed defense for us to play and we’re all excited about it.”
In terms of energy, Wormley says the Wolverines met or exceeded his expectations. The defense is the pride and joy, something Michigan can “hang its hat on,” says Wormley. The same should be true come fall.
“Everyone’s flying around, everyone’s hitting hard and that’s what we like about defense—especially here at Michigan,” said Wormley with an ear-to-ear grin. “You’ve got to play tough, and you’ve got to be ready to light it up.”
Receivers Show Promise
The quarterbacks struggled on Saturday, but the receivers didn’t—if that makes sense. They made plays on the ball when they could. Because of that, senior receiver Amara Darboh sees a wealth of possibilities come fall.
“Making plays is a thing that wide receiver’s all about—we try to go out there and make plays,” said a visibly satisfied Darboh, who had three receptions for 64 yards at halftime. “I felt that we left a couple of plays out there, me personally, and I know some other guys feel the same way. So there’s still things that we need to work on, but I also feel like we did some good things and there’s some things we can build on.”
Technically, Darboh was supposed to cheer on Morris—not Malzone, who headed the Maize Team. But the spring game is all about teamwork, not division. With that said, Darboh was impressed by both quarterbacks.
“I thought they made some smart decisions,” said Darboh, who added, “I thought they both did a great job.”
Offensive Line and Running Backs Need Work
The offensive lines weren’t terrible Saturday, but there is obvious room for improvement across the board, especially when it comes to discipline. Thrice violated for infractions, lineman Logan Tuley-Tillman tainted an otherwise decent showing with mental mistakes. He was cited twice for holding and once for a false start.
That’ll get addressed by offensive coordinator Tim Drevno, who also happens to be an expert when it comes to stitching together O-lines.
Neither Derrick Green or DeVeon Smith stood out from the crowd, which is somewhat alarming. Ross Taylor-Douglas, who just converted to the backfield, actually appeared to be the quickest back. At 5'10" and 186 pounds, Taylor-Douglas has a bit of size, but he's not as durable as Green or Smith.
That's his downside. He just didn't get much, if anything, after initial contact with tacklers. At roughly 5'11" and 220 pounds each, Green and Smith do that well.
Green had 11 yards at halftime. Smith had just 30. But again, that was partly due to the depth players on the line. There was no first string versus first string. It was a hodgepodge of everyone versus everyone, which certainly added entertainment value.
And speaking of entertainment, there probably aren’t many things that top a free trip to Michigan Stadium on a sunny spring day to watch a little football. It may not have been the show some had hoped for, but it was far more than the mess that was the 2014 spring game.
The Jim Harbaugh era is underway, and that's a win across the board for the Wolverines.
Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability.
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