Wilton Speight's deep accuracy impresses Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh

One area in which this Michigan team might be better with Wilton Speight at quarterback is on long passes.

In the win over Central Florida on Saturday, Speight had four completions of 30 yards or more, including pair that traveled more than 30 yards in the air: a 45-yard touchdown to Amara Darboh and a 35-yarder to Jehu Chesson.

According to Pro Football Focus, Speight has completed 11 of 20 passes of 10 yards or more through the first two weeks, and a few of the incompletions were drops by tight end Jake Butt.

"I've been really impressed by that," U-M coach Jim Harbaugh said on today's Big Ten conference call. "It's been accurate in practice, it's been accurate in games, the hardest route, in my mind, to complete as a quarterback is that post route, that 40-45-yard post route down the middle of the field. ... It is a really difficult route, in my opinion, to hit, and Wilton hit two of them in our previous game, one a touchdown and one got us to the 5-yard line. I've been very impressed with his deep-ball accuracy."

U-M threw fewer of those passes last year with quarterback Jake Rudock, especially early in the season, as he developed chemistry with the receivers, Harbaugh and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch. Though he hit Butt for a few catch-and-runs, Rudock's first 30-plus-yard completion to a receiver came in the seventh game of the season, against Michigan State.

As for Speight, Central Florida's defense loaded the box Saturday, allowing for single coverage downfield.

"That 45-yard post route to Amara, he had two steps on him, and all I had to do was get him the ball and not miss him," Speight said. "Those guys get open. They do a really good job of getting open and staying open."

And seeing Darboh and Chesson open is a shot he'll always take. "I know that's a win," Speight said.

Harbaugh, a former quarterback, can relate to moments and what Speight is seeing.

"It's really cool because we get just as much if not more coaching from coach Jedd Fisch," Speight said Monday. "His mind-set is he loves to rip the ball down the field, as you could see Saturday, able to take a lot of shots. ... The balance between getting coaching from the two of those guys is special."

Harbaugh has seen dramatic strides with Speight the past few weeks. At 6-feet-6, Speight always has been able to drive the ball downfield and hit an open receiver. But the nuance of the quarterback position is starting to emerge.

"In the last month, he's really developed an ability to feather a ball in, drop a ball in, over the linebackers, between the safeties," Harbaugh said today. "Short routes over linebackers or defensive linemen at the line of scrimmage to complete a ball. I think he's just now realizing all those ways he can get a completion without having to drive a flat ball to an open receiver. There's ways to throw a receiver open. There's ways to pull a receiver a direction away from a defender. There's ways to throw over and throw around defenders by moving his feet in the pocket, and that's something that he's working very diligently right now: creating a throwing lane, creating a sight line to a receiver by moving his feet in the pocket, finding a quiet spot in the pocket.

"Those are the two ways he's creating more ways to get more completions for himself. There's real excitement right now. That world is opening up to him."

Seidel: Wilton Speight checks all the boxes for Michigan football

Michigan QB Wilton Speight now laughs at ripping by Harbaugh on HBO

Contact Mark Snyder atmsnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra appon iTunesandAndroid!