AUSTIN, Texas — A year after the Michigan Wolverines allowed three yards per carry and nine rushing touchdowns, Lou Esposito’s defensive line returns star defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and edge Josiah Stewart.
In last week’s win over the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Wolverines only gave up nine rushing yards on 22 carries (0.4 ypc) with a long run of nine yards. Even removing the 30 yards lost on three sacks of quarterback Mikey Keene, Michigan still allowed just 19 carries for 39 yards (2.1 ypc).
Given the challenges of trying to run between the tackles against the Wolverines, an area of concern for the Texas Longhorns this season after losing two running backs to season-ending injuries, head coach Steve Sarkisian could turn to the screen game as an extension of the running game to get his playmakers the ball in space and avoid having to regularly create rush lanes through Graham and Grant.