Michigan put a pesky New Mexico team away in the second half after letting the Lobos back in it, racing to a 17-0 start before mistakes and some back luck plays made it closer than it should have been. We grade the Wolverines after a 34-17 opening night win.
RELATED: Michigan 34, New Mexico 17: Notes, quotes, and observations
Michigan rushing offense: B+
We’d normally be in the ‘A’ range when the Wolverines run for 200-plus yards (201 Saturday), but the opponent and the “all or nothing” way in which they amassed the ground yardage lowers this grade a bit. The 56- and 59-yard runs from Justice Haynes were fantastic and they obviously count, but they ran for only 86 yards on the other 30 carries. That’s less than three yards a carry, and that’s not good enough.
Passing offense: A-
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was ridiculous in his debut, completing 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown. He’s by far the most talented true freshman we’ve ever seen at Michigan and appears headed for one of the better seasons for a first-year guy in recent memory. If not for a few dropped passes, his numbers would have been even better.
Tight end Marlin Klein (93 yards) and receiver Channing Goodwin (49) really stepped up in their roles.
Michigan rushing defense: A-
The Lobos finished with only 50 total yards, and 27 of them came on two carries. The Wolverines had nine tackles for loss on defense, three of them sacks, and took away the run game for the most part. New Mexico averaged 1.8 yards per carry
Passing defense: B-
New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne dinked and dunked his way to 217 yards passing and the Lobos threw for two scores. There were only two plays of 20-plus yards, but 31 completions helped lead to 21 first downs. Michigan did pick off three passes for turnovers, but the short game is something that’s going to need to be shored up before next week’s game at Oklahoma.
Michigan special teams: D+
Kicker Dominic Zvada is the bright spot here. The Wolverines had a fumbled kickoff that led to three New Mexico points, had a fumbled punt they recovered and two more that bounced in front of Semaj Morgan, a punt from near midfield into the end zone and a couple other shorties. JB Brown’s group really needs to improve.
