The Michigan Wolverines moved to 2-0 on the season today after a blowout 51-14 win in the Big House over the Knights of UCF. Their dominating performance was highlighted by a handful of blocked kicks and punts as well as another very solid performance from Wilton Speight. Add in the defense putting on another show and the Wolverines had themselves a comfortable afternoon win.
Check out my game day grades and wrap up for Michigan's win over UCF:
Offense: B-
Speight, once again, looked very comfortable in the pocket. But this was a more impressive performance than against Hawaii as Michigan's offensive line struggled with the return of Ben Braden to the left guard position. The Michigan quarterback had pressure in his face from the Knights' speedy defense but kept his cool and hit the likes of Chesson, Darboh and Butt for 312 yards in total and four touchdowns.
The running game struggled a bit thanks to the offensive line's issues. However, DeVeon Smith took it on himself to break off a couple big, tackle breaking runs in his normal beast mode fashion. Chris Evans, Ty Isaac and Karan Higdon also saw plenty of carries as well but weren't as consistent as Smith was touting the rock.
Defense: B+
Don Brown's defense saw some leaks against the Knights' spread-offense. UCF broke off several long runs and racked up 275 rushing yards, which included a 87-yard touchdown on a jet sweep where Dymonte Thomas was smoked after taking a bad angle at the ball carrier. But it was mostly good for the defense as they held their opponent to 56 passing yards in total as the secondary and pass rush was dominant all game long.
As for the biggest standout on defense, it came from the two Paramus Catholic standouts, Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary. The Jersey duo was all over the field making tackles for loss and shutting down the Knights. Along with Maurice Hurst's interior pass rush and Chris Wormley's normal dominance, the Wolverines showed once again that they're one of the top defenses in the nation.
Special Teams: A
Four blocked kicks in the first half. That's ridiculous no matter who you're playing so a lot of credit has to go to the special teams. On top of the two blocked field goals from Chris Wormley and two blocked punts from Tyree Kinnel, Jabrill Peppers had one very nice punt return that nearly went to the house as he was pushed out at the 12-yard line by the last defender on his first-quarter return.
As for the kicking game, Kenny Allen had an up-and-down day. He kicked three field goals but struggled punting the ball. That included a couple touch backs on punts and fumbled snap. But all in all, it was a nice day for the UM special teams.
In Conclusion
Michigan was a big favorite and performed like it. They'll need to clean up some things on the offensive line and in the way the defense spies a running quarterback but, all in all, it was a nice game for the Wolverines.
What did you think of Michigan's performance against UCF? Let me know in the comment section below!
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