Michigan escaped Western Michigan with a 13-12 win, but the result came with a glaring warning sign: the run game is nowhere near where it needs to be.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t dance around the issue after the opener. The Wolverines finished with just 106 rushing yards, a number that fell far short of what he expects from a Jason Beck offense.
“We didn’t run the ball well enough at all,” Whittingham told the media. “We just barely got over 100 yards, which is not indicative of a Jason Beck offense. We have plenty to fix so we’ll get back to work, and show the players the film.”
That’s a sharp drop from the kind of ground production Michigan has been able to count on. Even with quarterback Bryce Underwood struggling as a freshman last year, the Wolverines still leaned on a run game that tied Oregon atop the Big Ten at 5.4 yards per carry. Against Western Michigan, that identity never showed up.
Jordan Marshall said the standard wasn’t met up front or in the backfield.
“We’re more physical than that but didn’t show it,” Michigan running back Jordan Marshall said. “That wasn’t our best brand of football so I’m taking accountability for it. We have to be better because everything stems from the run game.”
Marshall also pointed to the details that were missing from the blocking effort.
“We have to strain at the end of plays, not only the beginning. You have to finish your guy to the ground or get them all the way out the play,” Marshall said. “There was a lot of yardage left on tape and some big plays we should have had.”
There wasn’t much explosiveness to salvage the day. Marshall had a 15-yard run, and Bryson Kuzdzal ripped off a 20-yard gain that was wiped out by a holding penalty. Outside of that, the ground game never threatened to break open.
Underwood led Michigan with 47 rushing yards on nine carries, while Marshall finished with 44 yards on 11 carries. Freshman Savion HIter was quiet in his debut, managing 15 yards on five touches.
Whittingham said the issue wasn’t just effort, but the kind of finish and force the Wolverines brought to each snap.
“We weren’t running very violently,” Whittingham told the media. “We have to be much more violent in the run game. The offensive line wasn’t poor, but I think we need to be more violent overall and we need to finish our blocks better.”
Jake Guarnera echoed that message from the center spot, saying Michigan has to bring more edge and consistency.
“We have to play with more passion and play harder,” Michigan center Jake Guarnera said. “I feel like it being our first game out there, we weren’t finishing the way we’re supposed to, and we need to get back to that this week and beyond.”
For Michigan, the timing couldn’t be worse. The run game was already a problem against Western Michigan, and Oklahoma’s defensive line is a much tougher challenge. If the Wolverines don’t become more violent, finish blocks and create explosive plays, Saturday could turn into a long afternoon.
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