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College Football

John O’Korn could determine the fate of Michigan’s season

Garrett Kroeger

By Garrett Kroeger

Published:

As the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines the past two years, Wilton Speight has amassed an 11-3 record and earned the favor of coach Jim Harbough. But the title for starting signal caller, at least for now, should continue to belong to John O’Korn.

Lets backtrack and explain. Two weeks ago, Speight suffered a soft tissue injury in the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers. Once O’Korn entered for Michigan, the Wolverine offense came to life.

Before Speight’s injury, Michigan ran 10 plays for a mere 12 yards. On O’Korn’s first drive, the Wolverines ripped off a 13 play, 84 yard touchdown drive. O’Korn’s final stat line read 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His 270 yards passing represent the most of any Michigan passer in a single game this year; Speight’s high for the season is 221 against Cincinnati.

 

The offense looked energized under O’Korn. In fact, there are statistics that prove he has been a more effective quarterback for the Wolverines this season.

When Speight leads the unit, Michigan’s offense averages 5.5 yards per play. When O’Korn led the offense against Purdue, it averaged 6.5 yards.

Now, O’Korn’s sample size is small. Plus, Purdue’s defense is not like Air Force or Florida’s defense. However, if he performs well against the Michigan State Spartans this Saturday, the well-traveled fifth year senior should continue to be the main man under center.

The Wolverines are the No. 7 team in the country. Their defense looks like a unit that could possibly win a national championship. What would make Michigan more dangerous is having a quarterback that plays at a level all the time. Not one that just manages the game, but finishes them.

The offense has yet to create separation this year. Every game, the Wolverines’ offense has allowed other teams to stay in striking distance. Michigan has, so far, endured that type of performance. But there is no way they can as the season progresses.

In the back half of their schedule, the Wolverines face Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State — Michigan is the only team out of the B1G’s big four that plays all three. If the Wolverines’ offense continues to play like they have in those three games, you can just already chalk those up as losses. So, the unit must improve.

There is no guarantee that O’Korn will be great. Remember, he did lose his starting job at Houston as a sophomore when he was tossing more interceptions than touchdowns. So for all Harbaugh and the rest of the Michigan coaching staff knows, O’Korn’s outing against Purdue could have been a one time ordeal.

While his O’Korn’s performance against the Boilermakers could have been a fluke, he did pass his first test in the Maize and Blue with flying colors. He led Michigan to a (somewhat) come from behind victory in hostile environment. Simply put, he looked a like gamer who relished the opportunity when the game mattered most.

 

Now, O’Korn faces his toughest challenge to date in the Spartans. Entering this matchup, Michigan State possesses probably the best defense O’Korn will and have faced so far in his collegiate career. But if he could lead the Wolverines to a W, that will pay sizable dividends in terms of earning his teammates’ and fans’ trust.

The injury to Speight is terrible news, but the loss could have been a much heavier blow if Michigan didn’t have a veteran backup that knows Harbaugh’s offense well. A difficult schedule is ahead for the Wolverines, there are no ‘give me’s’ in the B1G, and now the fate of Michigan’s season hinges on the production of O’Korn.

Football is a team game, but no position determines wins and losses more than the quarterback. Michigan’s defense is great, and if O’Korn can become great, the sky is the limit for this Michigan football team.

Garrett Kroeger