Notebook: Banged up line seeks consistency

There were few positives coming out of Michigan’s 38-13 loss at Illinois Saturday, perhaps none in the second half. One area of concern … the play up front, which at this point in the year becomes as big a mental challenge as physical.

The offensive line is missing center David Molk, out for the season with a knee injury. His replacement, David Moosman, continues to play through his sore shoulder, while tackle Perry Dorrestein has been nursing a back injury.

“Something that kind of stuck out to me [watching film], the first month of the season as an offensive line we were doing really well. Our physical play was up in terms of where it was last year,” said guard Stephen Schilling, who didn’t play his best game Saturday. “We might have taken a step back on Saturday. But that’s something that can be fixed relatively easily.”

Had they fixed it on a series of four plays near the goal line early in the second half at Illinois, they’d be standing at 6-3 with momentum heading down the stretch. Instead the Wolverines are at the bottom of the conference and in desperate need of a home win over Purdue Saturday to stop the bleeding.

U-M’s failure to pick up a half yard that would have made it 20-7 earlier in the third quarter proved to be its undoing.

“That’s disappointing. Even when Roy [Roundtree] was down at the one-yard line [following a 76-yard reception], we figured we can get it in … we’re confident in what we can do,” said Schilling. “To have four tries to get less than a yard and not be able to get it … it’s something if you’re on the goal line, you should get in every time. We feel like we should be able to run the ball and get a few yards every single time.

“Coming off the sideline not converting on those four plays was rough, and obviously was the turning point in the game … and it was a lot of different things. We could have been a lot more physical. It definitely wasn’t scheme. I thought the running backs ran hard, though maybe we should have made bigger holes for them.”

Notes

• Both Schilling and senior defensive end Brandon Graham realize the challenge they have in making sure the rest of the season doesn’t get away.

“This week in practice will be important to show we’re not gong to lay down. We still have a whole quarter of the season left,” said Schilling. “It’s going to important especially with the older guys to show we’re still going to fight and play hard. A few losses we’ve had the last few weeks aren’t going to deter us moving forward.”

The time for talking is over, Graham added.

“We’ll let them know … you’ve got three to four games left and it’s all about what you want to do, what you’ve got inside of you to make sure you work as hard as you can so we can win these last three,” he said. “That’s how I’m going to bring it. It’s all about your heart now. We’ve talked about it and said so much. Now it’s all about if you really want to do it.”

• Several bowl projections have been made recently, with Michigan picked anywhere from the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl to the Champs Sports Bowl. With so much football left to be played and solid potential that two Big Ten teams will make BCS games, all conference teams have plenty to play for.

“A lot of people were talking about [six wins] as far as bowl eligibility, but when we got to four wins quickly we said, ‘aw, we’ll get six.’ Sometimes maybe people thought it would come easily, and it hasn’t, obviously,” said Schilling. “I stopped thinking about it. I’m thinking about playing Purdue. However many wins we end up with at the end of the season and whether or not we get selected to play in the bowl game, I’ll worry about that when it comes.”

• Playing loose has been a problem for a number of his players, head coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday. Having to substitute personnel in search of the right combinations at this point in the season hasn’t helped.

“Some of it comes with experience,” said Graham. “Some of them out there are just getting thrown out there because some people are not stepping up as much as coach wants them to. They’re just getting thrown out there. I think they’re doing a good job by listening to coach, but sometimes guys are trying to make plays that aren’t their plays, and that’s how big plays happen. That’s what I’ve seen that’s been happening to us these past couple of weeks.”

Graham admitted it took a few years before he was able to find the fine line.

“You just get nervous being out there on the field for the first time. That second year you’re still kind of nervous, want to make sure everything is right and make sure you hold up your end,” he said. “I understand that, but you’ve got to let it go. It comes in time. I believe they’ll end up playing loose sooner or later.”

• Junior cornerback Donovan Warren has appeared on several NFL draft lists this season, but he said Monday his only concern is “the next three games, and helping Michigan get the next three wins.” A phone call from former teammate Morgan Trent, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, helped Monday.

“He gave me a good phone call … that was good for me,” he said. “He said don’t let the guys get feeling sorry for themselves—move on , keep their heads up.

“There are three games left, so we still can come out 8-4 and finish the season on a strong note.”