Kornacki: How Wolverines Tight Ends Have Become Primary Passing Targets

By Steve Kornacki

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- There's a tight end, Sean McKeon, leading Michigan in catches and he's close to being on top in receiving yardage.

This is not unprecedented for the Wolverines, but it's been a long time since it's happened.

How long?

Well, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was the team's quarterback the last time.

In fact, a tight end led the Wolverines in receptions three consecutive seasons (1983-85), when Bo Schembechler was head coach. Sim Nelson had 41 catches for 494 yards in 1983, and then 40 for 459 in 1984. Tight end Eric Kattus was tops with 38 catches in 1985, when Paul Jokisch, a big wide receiver who roomed with Harbaugh, was first with 681 yards.

Michigan quarterback Brandon Peters threw almost exclusively to tight ends and running backs in Saturday's (Nov. 11) 35-10 win at Maryland. Eddie McDoom, with one catch for two yards, was the only wide receiver to make a grab.

McKeon's lone catch against the Terrapins was a three-yard touchdown.

Zach Gentry, who also started the game with McKeon in a double-tight end formation, led the Wolverines with three catches for 63 yards with a 33-yard touchdown.

Maryland stacked eight defenders at the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game, and that made for some easy pickings for the tight ends.

"We knew they liked to play eight in the box," said Peters. "And I think, honestly, that's why the tight ends were having a really good game today. They played eight in the box, and it really opened them up. So, we schemed around that.

"I made my reads, and that's what was there. I just took what was there."

Gentry (6-foot-7, 248 pounds) quickly got behind the entire Maryland defense and caught the pass from Peters while running in stride. Terrapins nickel back Antoine Brooks sprinted toward Gentry, but didn't reach him until both were in the end zone.

"I saw the safety rotated away," said Gentry, "and a big hole opened up in the middle of the field and Brandon made the right read to put it in a spot where I could catch it and run with it."

Maryland opted to stack the box to gear up for the Wolverine running game, which had produced more than 300 yards in consecutive games.

Gentry said, "The fact that we were able to spark our run game in the last couple games, with Maryland bringing people down into the box, it's nice as a tight end to know the safeties and everybody are playing down a little lower and sucking them down so we can pop the big one. It's been nice."

With the Maryland defense loading up to stop the Michigan rushing attack, it left tight ends like Sean McKeon open and available for quarterback Brandon Peters.

While Devin Funchess was the Big Ten's Tight End of the Year as a sophomore in 2013, he moved to wide receiver in 2014, when he led Michigan in receptions and receiving yardage.

Michigan still rushed for 160 yards and had 145 yards passing for balance.

Karan Higdon ran for 16 yards to put the ball at the Maryland three-yard line on the short drive following Gentry's touchdown catch. The Terps stacked the box again, and Peters made a play fake to Higdon, rolled out to his right, and found McKeon wide open for the touchdown.

"I just really sold the fake," said Peters, "and they really bit on it and it popped wide open."

Nobody was within five yards of either McKeon or Peters. Maryland's decision to again sell out against the run opened the way for another score with the proper play call.

Harbaugh said Peters "made the big play and was very accurate" against the Terps. He also noted that Peters "took a big shot early in the game" but recovered from having the wind knocked out to "play tough" and continue avoiding turnovers.

"He's playing the kind of football we like," said Harbaugh. "He's doing a heck of a job … He's really going through the progressions well, calmly, coolly, collected. And he's got the arm talent to make all the throws. He's got a real good game demeanor. He's a real bright guy, and has the ability to execute under any kind of situation.

"The thing that's most impressive is the way he gets through the reads -- the first, the second, all the way to the third, sometimes even the fourth (read). It's very impressive for a young quarterback. He makes the right decisions, and has been real good at decision-making, when not to throw a ball. He's building on it."

Gentry added, "Vocally, as a leader, he seems more calm. And like you saw tonight, he's hitting his check-downs in his progressions and his reads, and that's where he's improved the most."

Peters said throws to running backs often result from his check-downs "when there's nothing downfield," and Higdon had two catches for 48 yards while Chris Evans had a pair for 29 yards.

Evans explained that if a linebacker isn't blitzing, that frees him to go out on pass routes.

Backs are becoming more and more popular as targets, but the tight ends have become primary targets.

McKeon has 25 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns, while Gentry is rising with 12 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receiver Grant Perry has 22 catches for a team-high 285 yards and one touchdown.

Gentry and McKeon (37 catches, 465 yards and four touchdowns) exceed the totals of the top two wide receivers, Perry and freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones (34 catches, 440 yards and one touchdown).

Harbaugh was asked about the rise in production of the tight ends.

"Sean McKeon's a heck of a football player," said Harbaugh. "Zach Gentry's blossoming into a heck of a football player. Ian Bunting's playing very good football. Tyrone Wheatley, it's good to get him back in the lineup today. But we have a lot of good tight ends. Nick Eubanks was playing good for us the first four games (before an injury), and hopefully he'll be back for the end of the season.

"I think we're doing a very good job at the tight end position in blocking and catching. The assignments are good. No penalties or turning the ball over. It's the kind of football we like."

Gentry said they all take pride in the fact that, at times, Harbaugh employs four tight ends in one play.

That speaks to the position group's versatility, accountability and performance.

It also speaks to the job tight ends and offensive tackles coach Greg Frey has done with the group that continues becoming a bigger factor in the offensive success.

ON TO WISCONSIN: Michigan (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) will take a three-game winning streak to Wisconsin on Saturday (Nov. 18), when it plays the undefeated Badgers. ESPN College GameDay will be in Madison for the game (noon, EST) that airs on FOX.

"We've won a lot of games on the road this year," said Gentry, "and we're on a win streak now, and that's very important. You have a lot of confidence when you are building a three-game win streak.

"I'm confident in our ability to go in there. We're heading into a big game, and it's going to be a tough environment. But we couldn't be more excited for that really."