Michigan struggled again up front in its season opener against Notre Dame.
ANN ARBOR — It wasn’t a great performance.
In fact, Saturday’s 24-17 loss to Notre Dame brought back images of the pass-protection issues Michigan faced in 2017.
But head coach Jim Harbaugh plans to stick with the same offensive line configuration for the Wolverines‘ home opener Saturday against Western Michigan (noon, FS1).
„I thought it was improved,“ Harbaugh said Monday during his weekly news conference. „We look at it and there was quite a few boxes that you check and say, ‚Hey, this is improved.‘ That was another area that I think is improved.“
The Wolverines started redshirt junior Jon Runyan Jr. at left tackle, junior Ben Bredeson at left guard, sophomore Cesar Ruiz at center, junior Michael Onwenu at right guard and fifth-year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty at right tackle.
The unit struggled to get much push at the line of scrimmage in the first half, resulting in just 28 yards on the ground. Michigan’s offense as a whole didn’t fare much better, totaling 90 yards and 10 points — seven of which came as a result of Ambry Thomas‘ 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
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„Our offensive line is a mature group,“ defensive end Rashan Gary said. „They’re better from last year. They’re confident. They know what they need to do.
„I don’t know what people out there are saying about them, but to me, it’s a good, solid group. If they don’t believe it now, then they will believe it further down the road.“
Michigan fared better as an offensive unit in the second half, but that was mainly due in part to Shea Patterson’s arm. The quarterback found receiver Nico Collins on a 52-yard catch early in the third quarter, but it resulted in zero points after a botched hold on a field-goal attempt.
Then, Patterson — working out of the shotgun most of the game — found himself the victim of three separate sacks, and having to hurry at least six times. Pressure from Notre Dame’s line contributed to a late-third quarter interception, and he was close to sack No. 4 when he fumbled the football on the Wolverines‘ final drive of the game.
In his first start in a Michigan uniform after a long, drawn-out eligibility fight, Patterson completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 227 yards. He did not throw a touchdown.
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„I thought it looked good,“ tight end Sean McKeon said of Michigan’s pass protection. „The offensive line, you’ve obviously got to work together to build some chemistry, maybe even more than they tried to build in camp.
„Can’t make mental errors — and just got to execute technique.“
A look back at last season shows Harbaugh and staff taking some time before making changes along the offensive line. Nolan Ulizio started the first five games at right tackle before the decision was made to replace him with Juwann Bushell-Beatty, who started the next seven.
Protection along the offensive line remained shaky. Michigan struggled to run the football against better defenses.
Under new offensive line coach Ed Warinner, the talk all offseason was centered around the group’s progress — aided in part by another year of experience for all five, plus a more simplified approach.
And while things weren’t exactly sparkling against Notre Dame, Harbaugh and staff plan to ride with this group for the time being.
„It’s going to continue to get better and better, but I think it was one of the areas that we’re improving in,“ Harbaugh said. „The way we played this (Notre Dame) game is the way we’ll play the next game.“
