Kornacki: How Wolverine O-Line Imposed its Will on Cornhuskers
9/22/2018 9:19:00 PM | Football, Features
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Imposing its will.
That's what the University of Michigan offensive line did Saturday afternoon (Sept. 22) in a 56-10 win over Nebraska that produced the fifth-most points its ever produced in 123 Big Ten openers.
And the Wolverines wasted no time taking control with some power football.
Karan Higdon popped around the left side of the line for 46 yards on the Wolverines' first running play. Four consecutive running plays later, fullback Ben Mason scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns.
The next time Michigan had the ball, Higdon broke loose for 44 yards around left end on the very same play as his first long run. It is a play the Wolverines had run several times for success in wins over Western Michigan and SMU, and is becoming their bread-and-butter run play.
It involves left tackle Jon Runyan, left guard Ben Bredeson and the tight end -- usually Zach Gentry or Sean McKeon, but sometimes Nick Eubanks -- combining on a cross-blocking play to create a gaping hole through the outside "C" gap for Higdon.
"I'm blocking the wide guy," said Runyan. "Ben's kicking out, Gentry's getting that first inside (line)backer. That play's been really good for us. I think it averages like 20-something yards per play, and we've been scoring on it in each of the past three games -- twice against Western and once last week (against SMU).
"We love that play against the defense (Nebraska) plays. It was the first time for us this year going against the 3-4 (formation) and creasing the "C" gap, we really honed in on that all week in practice, and knew that play would be really big for us, and has been in the past against other teams. Those two runs by Higdon were amazing to get us started offensively."
Bredeson added: "There's a lot of timing and you have to displace some guys a little bit to get that hole on the outside. We work on that, and run that play a lot in practices. And, as you can see, it's really working for us in games, too. We've really been feeling that play, and we get excited when it's called."
Karan Higdon
The Wolverines averaged 6.3 yards per run and totaled 285 yards against the Cornhuskers, and Mason described what happened by opening his left hand and pointing to his fingers to represent the five linemen.
"It's so much like a hand," said Mason. "There are five fingers, and then…"
He clenched his hand to make a fist.
"They just become a rock," said Mason, "a fist. It's just great to see as a fullback. It's great to have five guys come together as one.
"That was a great statement for the team, as far as being a tough, physical football team. We really showed the ability to run on offense, and on defense we were flying around and making plays."
The defense has carried the Wolverines many times in recent seasons, but if the offensive line continues working this well, that perception will change. Defensive end Chase Winovich said this was the best "all-around performance" he had seen by a Michigan team.
"It's a weird relationship with our offensive line," said Winovich. "In practice, you obviously want to be good. But at the same time, you're investing in them. And the better they do, the better positions the defense gets put in. So, it was a special feeling seeing their success today."
Dan Dierdorf, an All-American offensive tackle at Michigan in 1971, went onto the NFL to become one of the most dominant blockers of his generation. He lives and breathes for games like this one, and glowed with pride from his perch in the radio broadcast booth.
"I remember the line from 'Patton,'" Dierdorf told his listeners during the second quarter, recalling the 1970 movie starring George C. Scott as Gen. George S. Patton. 'Power football. I love it so.'"
Steve Everitt and Steve Hutchinson, a pair of former Wolverine offensive line stars who attended the game, also complimented the blocking and enjoyed that revival of the power football they played in the 1980s and 1990s.
Runyan said, "Coming from those guys especially, it means a lot. Other people had been calling us names on the offensive line, and we try not to listen to that, but it is annoying. But going out there and doing what we know we can do, playing power football and running it right down their throat, when they can't stop it, that's the best."
Mason added, "With power football, you've got the fullback, tight ends, and you're just imposing your will on the other team."
Runyan said comments current Nebraska coach Scott Frost made two years ago, after Michigan beat his Central Florida team, 51-14, stuck with him and the Wolverines.
"The score is what it is," Frost said back then, "but we out-hit those guys today."
That is known as good, old-fashioned bulletin board material.
"We took that to heart," said Runyan, "and we didn't forget that. So, all week, Coach (Jim) Harbaugh and Coach (Ed) Warinner talked about being tough, and that's what we did, and we proved it today."
Bredeson added, "We brought it back up to fire ourselves up today as an offensive line, and I think we definitely won the physicality battle."
Warinner also said recently that it takes four or five games for an offensive line to jell, and his unit is showing signs of that after four games.
"It's just game experience," said Bredeson, the lone established starter returning this year on a unit that includes starting center Cesar Ruiz and guard Michael Onwenu and tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty on the right side. "It took time, and now that we're getting that experience under our belts, we're only going up from there."
The Wolverines struggled to run in their 24-17 loss at Notre Dame, gaining just 58 yards in 33 carries. Then they ran for 308 against Western Michigan and 197 against SMU before getting nearly 300 against Nebraska.
The level of competition has something to do with the increases, but there is no denying that against the Cornhuskers the Michigan linemen were executing at a much higher level. Their combo blocking had crisper timing, and their technique was sharper.
"It wasn't a good feeling losing to Notre Dame in the opener," said Bredeson, "and so we just had to come back and find ourselves with what we were doing right and what we were doing wrong. I think we've been hitting our stride, and today was a great step forward for us. It was a fun game, being able to push people around, and get some big runs and celebrate a little bit."
Runyan added, "In the Notre Dame game, we had a lot of guys in new positions. We got our bumps and bruises in that game, but we weren't going to let that happen again. So, these past three weeks, we've really settled down, honed in and didn't over-react to what had happened in the past.
"Since the Notre Dame game, we've been clicking. When we can run the ball like we have the last three games, you get good results. … We're going to take this game and the games we play to heart, going out there and being physical, and being tougher than them."
His father, Jon Runyan Sr., was a 1995 All-American offensive tackle at Michigan before earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors during a 14-year NFL career.
"I watched film all this week and would talk to my dad," said Runyan. "He's helped me out a lot. I'd missed a few blocks this week, and so we got some face time on the phone. My mom was holding the phone, and my dad was being me and my sister was being a defensive end.
"They ran plays, and it helped me both in the run and pass plays. I went to the Wednesday and Thursday practices to try that stuff out, and it worked pretty well."
Everyone has shown improvement, and Bredeson noted that "the cohesiveness" of the unit also is much better, adding that "we're more calm and able to finish our combinations" as blockers in tandem.
That's exactly what they did on Higdon's two long runs early in the game.
"Karan runs very physical," said Bredeson, "and he and I have had a lot of talks about the way he sees I block and the way I see him run. I love the way that kid runs. It was beautiful. I love to see the back of his jersey."
So, they feed off each other?
"Absolutely," said Bredeson, who's on the Outland Trophy watch list. "If we see Karan break a long run and finish it, not go down easy and make them fight to bring him down, that just fires us up. It makes us want to block for him even more."
He said it also works that way between himself and Runyan, motivating one another to be better still.
Bredeson, in his third consecutive season as a starter, said "there's a big maturity jump" being made in the way this team prepares, much like the powerhouse team in 2016.
"We want to be that team we were in '16," said Bredeson. "When we rolled down the tunnel, people would fear us. So, we're getting back to that stature. We're in a great battle rhythm now."
