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Michigan's lineup compared to where it should be:

• QB: Joe Milton Dylan McCaffrey Cade McNamara Joe Milton
• RB: Hassan Haskins
• WR: Nico Collins Cornelius Johnson
• WR: Ronnie Bell
• WR: Giles Jackson A.J. Henning
• TE: Nick Eubanks
• LT: Ryan Hayes Karsen Barnhart
• LG: Chuck Filiaga Trevor Keegan
• C: Andrew Vastardis Zach Carpenter
• RG: Andrew Stueber Zak Zinter Chuck Filiaga
• RT: Jalen Mayfield Andrew Stueber

• DE: Aidan Hutchinson Carlo Kemp
• DT: Carlo Kemp Chris Hinton, Jr.
• NT: Donovan Jeter
• DE: Kwity Paye
• Viper: Michael Barrett
• MIKE: Cam McGrone Adam Shibley
• WILL: Josh Ross
• CB: Gemon Green
• CB: Ambry Thomas Vincent Gray
• S: Brad Hawkins Hunter Reynolds
• S: Dax Hill

Going back six weeks to opening day, Michigan has 8 backups playing. And if you count the opt-outs, there are 12 positions affected. This is a MASH unit unlike anything I can remember at Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan and Penn State are two storied programs, but they didn't play each other until 1993, when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten. Immediately, Michigan ripped off a couple of the biggest plays in series history, with a 48-yard punt return touchdown by Derrick Alexander and a 47-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley had Michigan's longest play in series history in the second meeting.

1. Tyrone Wheatley 67-yard TD run (1994)
2. Brandon Watson 62-yard interception return TD (2018)
3. Denard Robinson 60-yard TD pass to Kevin Koger (2010)
4. Devin Gardner 59-yard TD pass to Devin Funchess (2013)
5. Hassan Haskins 59-yard run (2020)
6. Jourdan Lewis 55-yard kickoff return (2015)
7. Walter Cross 53-yard kickoff return (1999)
8. John Navarre 53-yard TD pass to Ronald Bellamy (2001)
9. Jabrill Peppers 53-yard punt return (2016)
10. Karan Higdon 50-yard run (2018)

Hit the jump to see video of the top three longest plays.

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RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan trimmed its running back rotation a little last week, finding its most efficient running back: Hassan Haskins. Haskins notched 25 carries for 109 yards (in three overtimes), the most carries for any single back since Zach Charbonnet's 33 attempts against Army in 2019. Even so, Michigan is #102 in rushing (122.8 yards/game) and #69 in yards per attempt (4.21). Rumor has it that Michigan's starting offensive tackles may return from injury this week, which might fortify a running game that was supposed to be solid, though maybe not great. Blake Corum has the second most carries despite averaging 3.0, -1.5, 0.7, and 2.3 yards per carry over the past four weeks. Penn State is #39 in rush defense (138.6 yards allowed/game) and #34 in yards per carry allowed (3.63). Last week Iowa ran for 4 touchdowns, but at just 3.8 yards per rush. Sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh (6'5", 252) leads the team with 33 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, matched in tackles by junior linebacker Ellis Brooks (6'1", 233) and in tackles for loss by senior defensive end Shaka Toney (6'3", 252). The Nittany Lions are down star linebacker Micah Parsons, but they still have a fair amount of talent in the front seven. Also, keep an eye on #97 P.J. Mustipher, a 6'4", 300 lb. defensive tackle who doesn't rack up a lot of stats, but messes things up in the middle. Especially if it's the revamped Michigan line and not the group that began the year, he could cause some real problems up front.
Advantage: Penn State

Hit the jump for more.

Someone would inevitably ask in the comments what I think about Giudice, so I'll just get it out of the way:

Giudice is a body for a team that kind of needs bodies at defensive tackle.

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FORMER PLAYERS

WR Tarik Black (Texas): Texas (5-2) had a bye.

WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Crawford had 10 catches for 141 yards and 1 touchdown in a 31-27 loss to Oregon State.

Chase Garbers with a beauty🔥

pic.twitter.com/jE63PJnYbm

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 21, 2020

DT Michael Dwumfour (Rutgers): Dwumfour made 2 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry in a 48-42 loss to Michigan.

OT James Hudson III (Cincinnati): Hudson started at left tackle in a 36-33 win over UCF.

Hit the jump for more.

As with many of these snapshot plays, I'm limited with my time - and these take a while - so I apologize for not going into more depth. To discuss this post, head on over to touchthebanner.blogspot.com.

In the second quarter with the Wolverines down 7-0 to Rutgers, Michigan had a 2nd-and-1 play with Blake Corum in the backfield in 11 personnel (1 running back, 1 tight end).

Pre-snap, the setup looks like this:

That's Corum to the right of the QB, and it sets up perfectly (at least in my mind) for power read. One unblocked playside defender is the field safety at 10 yards, and if the receivers block, Corum has to make a guy miss in the open field. The other unblocked playside defender is the end, because the call would put him in conflict, forcing him to either chase Corum or keep an eye on the 6'5", 243 lb. QB with the 4.62 forty.

Hit the jump for more.

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Cade McNamara. I wasn't quite ready after the Wisconsin game, but now I'm ready. Quarterback Cade McNamara should be the starter going forward. He went 27/36 for 260 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, and he also ran in 1 touchdown. This happened after starter Joe Milton was 5/12 for 89 yards.

Hit the jump for more.