Michigan QB dazzles in rout of UConn

Pete Fiutak

Oh, so that’s what it’s like to get real, Michigan-like line play.

GAME TIME

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Yeah, Denard Robinson and his tremendous day is the biggest storyline, but he also had 10-mile wide holes to run through. The Connecticut defensive front is very, very good, and it’ll show it throughout the Big East season, but it got pounded on as the Michigan offensive line had its best game in the Rich Rodriguez era.

Jordan Todman was able to run for more than 100 yards on the Michigan defense, but the line did a great job of holding firm and generating pressure to allow the linebackers to roam free to make big plays. Over the past two seasons, the Wolverine defense (Brandon Graham excused) never played up to its talent level and didn’t have the apparent energy and motor that this year’s group showed.

Basically, Michigan is mad as hell, and it’s not going to take it anymore.

This was a dominant effort that was everything Wolverine fans were hoping for and expected when Rodriguez first took over. Through all the ugliness from the divorce from West Virginia, and with all the craziness with the NCAA issues when he first got to Michigan, and for all the problems over the first few years, Rodriguez really is a good football coach. It’s only one game, but now he appears to be showing off what he can really do with all the pieces in the right spots.

He has the quarterback who fits what he wants to do in Robinson, and he has the backs who can slip and slide through the holes, with Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw taking turns doing their best impersonation of Steve Slaton, but none of this happens if the lines don’t rock.

LB Obi Ezeh, a major disappointment last year, looked the part again with a team-leading nine tackles and a very key forced fumble. Why? He had room to move. Robinson wasn’t under too much pressure. Why? He had time to throw against a defensive front that’s going to register a ton of sacks this year. The line play was terrific, and everything else fell in place.

Of course, if the lines regress or if this was a mirage, all the happiness and joy can quickly disappear seven days from now with a bad showing against Notre Dame. Don’t forget that Michigan had a strong start last year, but for now, for the next six days, all appears to be right with the Maize and Blue world.

Richard Cirminiello

What took you so long, Rich Rod?

Considering how well Denard Robinson played versus Connecticut, you’ve got to wonder why Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez held out on naming a starting quarterback for so long. Maybe there was an element of gamesmanship, but the way the kid performed in the Wolverine rout, this should have been a done deal a few hours after summer drills began. It’s obvious that he’s going to be the key for the near future of the coach and the program. For Rodriguez’s offense to work up to its full potential, it needs a dynamic playmaker behind center, a new-age Pat White or Armanti Edwards, if you will. Robinson flashed the potential of being that guy, consistently making plays with his feet and setting a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. As a passer, he was nearly as flawless, taking advantage of the gaps in the Husky defense and showing unexpected accuracy through the air. If he can continue to be sharp with his right arm, stopping the sophomore is going to be doubly difficult for this year’s Wolverine opponents.

For Michigan, this is clearly something to build upon, as the program begins preparations for next week’s pivotal visit to South Bend. While it’s too early to become giddy in Ann Arbor, today’s outcome exceeded expectations and produced a sigh of relief for the home team.

Matt Zemek

Overreacting is a staple of Week 1 in any college football season. With that said, if ever there was a result which should offer cause for a reassessment of two teams, Michigan’s thumping of Connecticut would be it.

You could indeed throw out the first half and say that Michigan was fired up while Connecticut was nervous and rusty. You could say that Randy Edsall’s Huskies were paralyzed by the grand stage of an even bigger Big House. You could call UConn body-snatched and bewildered. Fine. Let’s be generous and assume that’s the case.

How does one explain the second half, then?

Denard Robinson — who delivered a thunderously emphatic statement on the first Saturday of the new season — was able to convert third downs with the passing game, not the running game. (In the first half, the Wolverines were more run-based, with Robinson keeping the ball and zooming around UConn defenders) Michigan still outclassed UConn up front. The Wolverines’ ravaged secondary still didn’t give up big down-field pass plays to a Huskies passing game that should have been a lot sharper, but never acquired increased effectiveness. This game was set up for a second-half shift, but it never came. Sure, the fumble by UConn’s D.J. Shoemate (inside the Michigan 6) was a killer, but there was still a lot of ball left to be played when that event occurred. Michigan took full ownership of the proceedings from that point forward, proving that its first half was no fluke.

Be very worried if you’re a Big East fan, and be very encouraged if you root for the Maize and Blue. Yeah, Rich Rodriguez just might have made the right choice at quarterback, eh?