5 questions Brian Griese
ESPN college football analyst and former Michigan standout Brian Griese, who also will be calling the Jets’ Monday night game, breaks down the opening week of college football with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: Which team was most impressive and disappointing for you in Week 1?
A: Certainly, I think LSU raised some eyebrows. Miami had a lot of talent coming back from a very successful team a year ago and LSU starting a new quarterback in Joe Burrow from Ohio State, you didn’t really know what that was going to look like. Michigan was a disappointment. There was a lot of expectation from a new quarterback in Shea Patterson, a lot of new coaches on the offensive side and you were hoping, I was at least as an alum and fan, that you’d see something different. It looked very similar and stagnant. Q: So, the criticism of Jim Harbaugh is fair?
A: Absolutely, it’s fair. He would say it’s fair. You are now 1-6 against your rivals and they didn’t bring Jim Har- baugh to Michigan for that. They have a playoff-caliber defense and I think they have gotten to a point now where there is such an imbalance on the team between offense and defense that it’s affected the entire culture of the team. They need to score some points. That’s what the game is about.
Q: Are you confident Nick Saban has the right plan for his quarterbacks?
A: He did come out this week and say Tua Tagovailoa will start the next game and that they’ll use Jalen Hurts in certain packages. That’s probably the way it’s going to go for Saban and Alabama. So, in Nick Saban’s mind he’s made the decision and I think it’s probably the right one.
Q: How does Tagovailoa change this team?
A: Tua opens up their offense. Jalen is more of a “running back” than a quarterback. He struggled to throw the ball with any kind of consistency or accuracy last year. When Tua came in the championship game last season you saw what happened. They are so deep and talented at every position that when you put a quarterback in there that can throw the ball down the field, be accurate and run the offense the way it is meant to be run then you open up the running game even more. They’ve won championships with great defenses and not turning the ball over on offense. With Tua, they don’t have to win that way. Q: Which player opened your eyes in the opening week? A: I did the Auburn-Washington game and there’s a couple of breakout players from there. Salvon Ahmed, at running back was really impressive for Washington and ready for a breakout season. Everyone talks about Myles Gaskin, but I think this kid is just as talented.