‘Smash!’ Michigan football’s O-line determined to break defenses’ wills
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In case you missed it, Michigan is really good at running the ball this year. Like really, really good.
Sporting the No. 1 rushing offense in the country, the Wolverines have been able to run even when a defense’s focal point is to stop the run.
But did the offensive line anticipate it would be so dominant in the early going? Sophomore right guard Zak Zinter says that they became aware of how good they were back in the spring.
“We did, yes — coming in through spring ball, through camp, we were meshing really well together,” Zinter said. “A lot of people on the outside still didn’t really believe in us — we believed in ourselves. People were telling us we’re great now said we were gonna be terrible a month ago. We’ve still got that mindset that we have a lot to prove and we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing.”
Still, they’re not resting on their laurels.
Aware they’ll face tougher challenges ahead with Big Ten season starting this week, the O-line also knows that if a team is so dedicated to stopping the run that it devotes more linebackers or safeties to the ground game, that the pass game is there for the taking.
“We just go week-by-week,” Zinter said. “Every team’s gonna bring something else. Rutgers is gonna come in here 3-0, hungry, ready to go. We’ve just got the mindset that we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing, we’re gonna ball when we need to, we’re gonna throw when we can. If they start packing the box, we’ll throw it over their heads.”
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If it’s possible, the offensive line is the perfect mixture of modest and confident. It’s aware of what it’s done thus far, but also knows that if things go awry in one game, the narrative changes.
Still, given that Washington was vocal about its intent to limit Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins and failed miserably, the O-line knows what it’s capable of. It’s becoming a badge of honor, and now that it’s seen what happens when it mauls the men across from them, they’ve got a taste of blood they don’t wish to relinquish any time soon.
“Our goal is we want to make them quit,” Zinter said. “By midway through that last game, even the Washington game, we’re running the ball down their throat, they’re giving up. We just kept the foot on the pedal. We want to make them give up and show them who we are.
“Going into most games, I know Rutgers (is going to tilt their nose), they’re gonna try to stop the run. But one thing we keep saying in the O-line room is, ‘Smash!’ They know we’re gonna run it and we’re still gonna run it. We’re just gonna out-physical them and just run it down their throats like we keep saying.”
Zinter and the offensive line will have another chance to run the ball with Rutgers coming to town on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights have the No. 49 rushing defense in the country, giving up an average of 113 yards per game, with FCS-level Delaware managing 159 yards on the ground this past week. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. EDT at The Big House and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
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Ranking Big Ten QBs through 3 weeks according to PFF grades
