Eastern Michigan Post Game

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

What did we learn?

There are a couple of reasons why you play an EMU early in the season.  Its good to get another check in the win column but you also hope to learn more about your team and your players.  So the question remains did we learn anything on Saturday about the 2011 Wolverines?

I think we did, here are my observations:

• Have you heard the saying, that you have to run to set up the pass?  Michigan needs to run the Spread to set up the Pro Style offense.  Al Borges seems to have one game plan in mind and then throws that out the window after two drives. 
• Hawthorne has locked down one of starting LB roles.  He has a nose for the ball and is pretty quick.
• Michigan still needs Cam Gordon to get better soon. Jake Ryan did some good things but I think that's Cam job when healthy.
• Raymon Taylor was the first freshman DB off the bench.  Which was a surprise.
• Michigan is feeling good about landing a RB in the 2012 class, why? Thomas Rawls got a few meaningless snaps.  Which would wipe out his redshirt unless he gets a mysterious back injury. 
• Both lines have improved but still have a long way to go.
• Al needs to give Denard some easy throws to start the game, he is so hyped up he is trying to throw the ball through a brick wall.
• Vincent Smith needs more touches at RB.

How is this team different then last year?  I'm not sure we are ready to answer that yet.  They seem fundamentally better on defense but still have a ways to go.  The slow starts concern me on both sides of the ball.  Defense I can understand but it seems Al Borges is trying to fit something into the offense that just isn't there.  I really need to see Michigan's WR's integrated better and some more creative running plays.  Sure you don't want to show a ton against The Eagles but I would like to see some more consistency out of the offensive unit.   Where is Roy Roundtree?  Not enough stuff to the TE's?  It seems to me, Denard is missing the open guy.

I have the same feeling I did last year.  It's good to be 3-0 but with too many question marks.  Look for Michigan to break the top 25 this week with a good SDSU team coming to town next week.   On Saturday we might have learned more about Michigan's rivals and the rest of the Big Ten, then we did about our own Wolverines.