The Michigan Wolverines are leaving Washington with a list of things to improve upon after falling to the Washington Huskies, 27-17.
Quarterback Alex Orji got the start, but the coaching staff switched to Jack Tuttle after a few drives. After two turnovers from Tuttle, the calls will continue from the fan base for true freshman quarterback Jadyn Davis to get some playing time. We’ve only seen Davis in the spring game, but with the way the schedule is shaping up, it’s hard to imagine there will be an opportunity to get him playing time.
Michigan’s defense is dealing with some injuries at edge right now. Derrick Moore didn’t play yesterday due to an injury, which provided true freshman Dominic Nichols some snaps.
Here’s who’s had a chance to play as a true freshman this season. An asterisk (*) indicates they saw playing time against Washington.
- RB Jordan Marshall (1 game)
- OL Andrew Sprague (1 game)
- OL Jake Guarnera (2 games)*
- TE Hogan Hansen (4 games)*
- LB Cole Sullivan (5 games)
- EDGE Dominic Nichols (3 games)*
- DL Manuel Beigel (1 game)
- DB Mason Curtis (2 games)*
- DB Jo’Ziah Edmond (2 games)*
The Wolverines didn’t turn to Nichols too often in this game, but he was on the field for six snaps on defense, according to Pro Football Focus. He graded out at 66.7 overall, with a 73.0 for tackling. That’s something you like to see from a guy just getting his career started.
The other freshmen to see playing time — Hogan Hansen, Jake Guarnera, Mason Curtis and Jo’Ziah Emond — got snaps on special teams. Hansen appeared in his fourth game of the season and if the Wolverines continue to play him, he’ll burn his redshirt in the game against Illinois in two weeks.
Notably missing from the list is linebacker Cole Sullivan. The Wolverines burned his redshirt last weekend against Minnesota, but he did not see the field in the game against the Huskies. They’ve used him on special teams in every game this season before this one, so that is certainly something to keep an eye on as the season continues.
Once again, no running back Jordan Marshall in this one. He’s still out with an injury. The Wolverines thought they had something with Marshall on kick returns this season, but he hasn’t seen playing time since the Texas game. Michigan doesn’t exactly need help at running back, but having a playmaker on special teams would have been nice to help with field position.
The Wolverines have a bye week before heading on the road to take on Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 19. The Illini have improved this season, so this will likely be another tough test for the Wolverines. The bye week should help on the injury front, which may mean fewer freshmen see the field in the second half of the season.