It was a scary one early on in the Big House as the Colorado Buffaloes quickly got out to a 21-7 lead on the Michigan Wolverines thanks to some big time plays by the Buffs' offense and defense. But once the defense settled down and Wilton Speight recovered from a big sack and fumble, Michigan chipped away at the CU lead. Thanks to some big plays from the offense, holds by the defense, game changing plays by the special teams and the injury to the Colorado starting quarterback, SefoLiufau, UM pulled away for good in the 3rd quarter and cruised to their third win of the season.
Check out my game grades for Michigan's week three win over Colorado:
Offense: C
Not the best day for the Wolverines offense, especially Speight, as they struggled early and often. A lot of the struggles can be put on the shoulder of Speight, literally, as he took a huge hit in the 1st quarter and looked to be shaken up for the majority of the half. That included several missed throws and near interceptions that looked to put Michigan in a hole going forward. However, some great starting field position and plays from the likes of Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh, De'Veon Smith and Jake Butt helped overcome those early issues.
It's hard to give a lower grade to an offense that has put up 45+ points for the third straight game this season but there's so much more to be wanted from a unit with this much firepower and experienced talent.
Defense: C+
Depending on the unit within the defense, the grade changes. No one was great but there were position groups that definitely outplayed the others. One position that played well was the defensive line, that was without getting much pressure on their own until late and missing two of their top players in Taco Charlton and Bryan Mone. The player that stood out the most on the line was true freshmen Rashan Gary who racked up four tackles and one-and-a-half tackles for loss.
As for the linebackers, Mike McCray had issues early on but cleaned it up later on. Meanwhile, Jabrill Peppers did a lot of Jabrill Peppers-like things as he easily had his best game as a college player. That included nine tackles, six solo tackles, one sack and three-and-a-half tackles for loss.
And then there's the secondary. Missing Jourdan Lewis yet again, the backfield struggled mightily in the first half. That especially included the safeties as both Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill were toasted for three touchdowns.
Special Team: B+
Easily the best facet of the game for Michigan. The special teams made a handful of huge plays to lead the Wolverines including a blocked punt that went for a touchdown, a forced 7 yard punt that set up another touchdown and, the highlight of the game, Jabrill Peppers' 54 yard punt return for a touchdown to put the game out of reach in the 2nd half.
Kenny Allen wasn't great either kicking field goals or punting the ball but the rest of the crew picked things up for him.
How would you grade Michigan in their 45-28 win over Colorado? Let me know in the comment section below!
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