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2005 Michigan Football Preview
Aug. 31, 2005
2004 Record: 9-3 (7-1 Big Ten) With a storied tradition like the Michigan football has, preseason preditions always seem to have the Wolverines in the hunt for the national championship and 2005 is no different. Lloyd Carr's team was picked as the preseason favorite by Big Ten Conference media, and the Associated Press slated Michigan as the fourth best team in the country. Not far behind the praise, though, are lofty expectations, but with a resume like Carr's Michigan dynasty - one national title, three Rose Bowl berths and a five league titles - you get the sense the Wolverines would accept nothing less. Sure, losing three key players who were picked in the first 33 spots of the NFL draft this past spring puts some holes in their depth chart. But Carr didn't build such a handsome brag sheet without having more star talent waiting in the reserves. Wide receiver Braylon Edwards, cornerback Marlin Jackson and center David Baas are all missing from last year's Big Ten champion team, but the Wolverines return eight starters, including All-Big Ten performer and rookie of the year Mike Hart, from an explosive offense. "Our expectations are always high at Michigan and they're certainly no different this year," Carr said. "We returned an awfully big contingent of guys on the offensive side of the football. We'll take the things we've evaluated, every single player and every phase of our game, we have set goals that we want to improve on and accomplish." One of Michigan's greatest luxuries is returning a quarterback who led them to the Rose Bowl. Forget that last year's starter entering the season, Matt Gutierrez, went down with injury, no one expected much from true freshman Chad Henne. Henne unleashed perhaps the best freshman season of any quarterback in school history, amassing 2,743 yards on 240-for-399 passing. The first rookie to start Michigan's season-opener since 1975, Henne completed a steady 60% of his passes and threw 25 touchdowns. Carr expects Henne will return with more confidence and strength to take a great freshman outing to a superior sophomore success. Gutierrez will be back to top speed, ready to step in without missing a beat as Henne's back-up if necessary and could earn some starting time of his own. Hart turned up another surprise for Michigan fans in 2004, pounding out a league-leading 1,455 yards rushing, becoming only the third freshman in Conference history to do so. Hart scored nine touchdowns, and was such a consistent threat that he sparked an eight-game scoring streak that ended in the Rose Bowl. Also, through 230 touches, Hart fumbled only once. Pushing him will be sophomore Max Martin and freshman Kevin Grady. A superstar recruit who graduated early enough to spend pre-Rose Bowl practices with the team, Grady is the all-time prep leader in Michigan with 8,431 yards and 151 rushing touchdowns. The Wolverines are also well stocked at fullback with senior Brian Thompson preparing to replace Hart's former blocking back Kevin Dudley. Thompson, a former linebacker, has good hands, too, grabbing 13 carries for 82 yards in 2003. Michigan's receiving corps lost Edwards, a three-year starter, and they'll surely miss the school-record and Big Ten-best 97 catches for 1,330 yards he produced last year. But there are plenty pairs of good hands returning. Senior Jason Avant has had all-around success the past two years, and the third-year starter caught 38 passes for 447 yards and three scores in 2004. Junior Steve Breaston, known mostly for his electrifying kick return work, has been a steady receiver as well, grabbing 34 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. If his special teams dynamic flair transfers to a full-time offensive spot, Breaston could have a break out receiving season. Tight end Tim Massaquoi possesses first-rate speed for his position and great hands. After catching 18 balls for 184 yards last season, he will be a top target with fellow tight end Tyler Ecker. The offensive line has a Rimington Award-sized hole with the absence of Baas, but the Wolverines are well-known for outstanding offensive fronts and this year's crew will be no different. Four starters return to a line that should pave the way for Hart's sensational running game. Seniors and All-Big Ten picks Adam Stenavich and Matt Lentz anchor the line. Stenavich, an outstanding pass-protecting let tackle, has 27 career starts. Lentz, a three-year starter, will keep his 25-game starting streak alive as a run-blocking machine at right guard. Joining them are sophomore right tackle Jake Long, who started in 10 games last year, and sophomore guard Adam Kraus. Junior Rueben Riley spent most of 2004 at left guard, but the versatile big man will move to the middle to replace Baas. "We're going to have a lot of contributions from a lot of different areas that we didn't have last year," Massaquoi said. "Filling in Braylon's shoes is going to be tough, but we have the right guys to do it. Our offense is going to be fun to play in because we have a lot of guys who are young and we have a lot of veterans on our O-line. We have guys who have been in situations that you couldn't write up on a chalkboard as a coach, and they've handled those situations well." The biggest questions concerning Michigan's success have Carr & Co. getting defensive - literally. After defensive lapses in the final two games of the season, Carr put the focus on turning up the pressure on challenging mobile quarterbacks, and he's looking for new defensive line coach Steve Stripling, formerly at Michigan State, to turn up the pass-rush heat. Junior LaMarr Woodley returns as the line's top tackler, making 70 tackles including 16 for loss. Voted the Rose Bowl's defensive player of the game, Woodley is an athletic pass rusher who could split time between defensive end and linebacker. Pierre Woods is another linebacker-turned-end who has an excellent knack for breaking into the backfield. Seniors Gabe Watson and Pat Massey combine as one of the nation's best tackling tandems. Watson has NFL potential and was an All-Big Ten selection with 37 stops and two sacks. Massey started all of last season pounding 37 tackles, a team-best five sacks and two blocked field goals. "The biggest thing within ourselves is the fundamentals of defense," Massey said. "When we struggled toward the end of the year, all the defensive players know it really had nothing to do with our schemes or when we blitzed and when we didn't. It was more just mis-tackling and guys not being in the right spots. Guys know that it's our responsibilities to get back on track." The only returning starter in the linebacking crew is senior Scott McClintock, who will be tough force on the inside. Senior David Harris started all 13 games his sophomore season but suffered last year as he recovered from a knee injury. Former safety Prescott Burgess made 27 stops and 1 interception as a inside reserve last year, but his speed and reach have hip poised to be one of the team's best outside linebackers. There is work to be done in Michigan's secondary, but cornerback Leon Hall is a lightning fast tackler ready to take on most team's star receivers. He'll be joined at corner by senior Grant Mason. A receiver for two years, Mason starter once in 2004 and made 20 tackles and one interception. Quarterbacking the secondary is free safety Ryan Mundy, a consistent tackler who had 51 stops as a first-year starter in 2004. Taking over the strong safety spot left open by Ernest Shazor's early jump to the NFL is up to junior Brandent Englemon and sophomore Jamar Adams. Both spent time on reserve duty last year, and Carr says the competition for the job is wide open. Three-year starter Garrett Rivas at place-kicker after converting 19-of-24 field goals last season, and newcomer Zoltan Mesko could challenge walk-on Mark Spencer for punting duties. Breaston's aggressive slashing-and-dashing return runs were the key to Michigan's special teams success in 2004. Breaston averaged 24.6 yards, and blazed through the Rose Bowl record books with 221 yards returning. Michigan starts out the season in the comforts of Ann Arbor, but faces difficult road tests at Wisconsin and Michigan State to open the Conference season. The year's toughest road show could be the late September trip to defending co-Big Ten champion Iowa. The Wolverines could battle for another Big Ten title when rival Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor to close out the regular season.
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