Posts under: homepage

Preview: Michigan at Michigan State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MSU RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #41 in rushing offense (182 yards/game) and #35 in yards per carry (4.88). I thought Michigan might take off a little bit against Indiana last week, which had the #91 rushing defense, but that didn’t happen so much. Blake Corum (96 carries, 546 yards, 12 touchdowns) leads the way . . . and that includes nationally, because he tops the country in rushing touchdowns. Donovan Edwards has been a disappointment on the ground, averaging just 3.28 yards/carry this year, but he did break through with his first touchdown of the year last week. Kalel Mullings (23 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) and Ben Hall (11 carries, 60 yards) are also options. Michigan State is #33 in rushing defense (114.8 yards allowed/game) and #36 in yards allowed per carry (3.48). They have only allowed 3 rushing touchdowns this year, which is tied for #8 nationally. But last week against Rutgers, MSU allowed Kyle Monongai to run 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. The teams they have shut down in the run game include FCS Richmond, Central Michigan, and the inept Iowa offense. Junior LB Cal Haladay (6’1″, 235 lbs.) leads the team with 41 tackles, followed by S Malik Spencer (6’1″, 195) with 36 and CB Dillon Tatum (5’11”, 200) with 30. The leaders in tackles for loss include DE Zion Young (6’6″, 265) with 4.5 and Haladay with 4. They’re tied at #67 in tackles for loss per game with 5.83. I have a feeling that Michigan might try to bludgeon MSU, and considering the fact that the Spartans have only had success against weak teams, this might be a day for Blake Corum to have a signature performance.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Josh Metellus

Minnesota Vikings captain and safety Josh Metellus had one of his best games as a professional, totaling 8 tackles with 1 sack and 1 forced fumble in a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears. That fumble was returned for a touchdown. Unfortunately, it was on rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent out of Shepherd University and not Ohio State product Justin Fields, who is expected to be out for a few weeks with a dislocated thumb.

Josh Metellus with the strip sack! He has really become a great pro player recently! Go Blue! 〽️

pic.twitter.com/y2QqzQkySQ

— JD 〽️ (@MGoJDBlue) October 15, 2023

HONORABLE MENTION

• RB Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks): Charbonnet ran the ball 9 times for 46 yards in a 37-27 win over the Panthers.
• WR Nico Collins (Texans): Collins caught 4 passes, including three for first downs, and 80 yards in a 20-13 win over the Saints.
• DE Brandon Graham (Eagles): Graham made 2 tackles and 0.5 sacks in a 20-14 loss to the Jets.
• S Dax Hill (Bengals): Hill made 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups in a 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
• LB Khaleke Hudson (Commanders): Hudson made 3 tackles in a 24-16 win over the Falcons.
• DT Maurice Hurst, Jr.: Hurst made 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in the Browns’ 27-3 victory over the Titans.
• DE Aidan Hutchinson (Lions): Hutchinson made 3 tackles in a 20-6 win over the Buccaneers.
• CB Jourdan Lewis (Cowboys): Lewis made 3 tackles in a 20-17 win over the Chargers.
• S Jabrill Peppers (Patriots): Peppers made 7 tackles and 2 pass breakups in a 21-17 loss to the Raiders.
• TE Luke Schoonmaker (Cowboys): Schoonmaker made his first professional catch for 1 yard. Unfortunately, he was targeted six times and reeled in just the one catch, but a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
• CB D.J. Turner II (Bengals): Turner made 4 stops in a 17-13 win over the Seahawks.

2023 Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 7

Please consider supporting the blog by using the Amazon links here (LINK):

FORMER PLAYERS

TE Erick All (Iowa): All had 2 catches for 19 yards in Iowa’s 19-6 win over Wisconsin, but the bigger news was that he suffered a nasty knee injury on his second catch. All leads the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin.

This is a better look at the Erick All injury. Viewer discretion: don't watch too closely if you're at all squeamish. pic.twitter.com/KIrsZN7U02

— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) October 14, 2023

WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.

QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 28/41 passes for 336 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in a 39-32 win over Kansas. As good as those numbers sound, that’s just his sixth-highest passing yardage total in a game. His highest total was when he threw for 605 yards against Houston as a freshman for Texas Tech in 2018.

Right out the gate ‼️@alanbowman_ finds @Ollie_Gordon2 in the flat and @CowboyFB scores on its opening drive in front of the home crowd.

📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/eqO10k3CVr

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 14, 2023

Granny Throw TD by Alan Bowman 👵

Oklahoma State up by 14 early in the first! @CowboyFB #CFB #CollegeGameDay

pic.twitter.com/t8pDnzX7tI

— Jens Van Hulle (@vanhullejens) October 14, 2023

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan 52, Indiana 7

Run the damn ball. Coming into the game, Indiana was ranked #91 in rushing defense. And it was raining. So naturally, Michigan decided to come out throwing, with four pass plays and two rushes in the first six plays. Two of those pass plays resulted in sacks, and one was a drop by Colston Loveland. Meanwhile, the two carries by Corum averaged 4.5 yards per rush. Michigan wasn’t necessarily going to obliterate Indiana on the ground with huge runs, but they could have just taken over the game physically instead of trying to throw in those conditions.

Hit the jump for more.

Preview: Michigan vs. Indiana

RUSH OFFENSE vs. INDIANA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan ranks #38 in rushing offense (185.2 yards/game) and #26 in yards per carry (5.07). Blake Corum’s 5.95 yards/carry ranks sixth in the conference, while backup Donovan Edwards’s mystifying 3.47 yards/carry ranks #32, lowest of any qualifying back in the conference. Kalel Mullings has stepped up his game with 23 carries for 147 yards and 1 touchdown this year. Michigan seems to have found a solidified starting five up front with Arizona State transfer La’Darius Henderson at left tackle and Karsen Barnhart at right tackle. Indiana is #91 in rushing defense (156.4 yards allowed/game) and allowed Akron’s Lorenzo Lingard over 8.0 yards/carry a few weeks ago, along with 10+ yards per rush to Maryland’s Antwaine Littlejohn despite his not getting above 3.7 against any other opponent. They give up 4.74 yards per carry, which ranks #108 in the nation. Having watched some of Indiana this year, their tackling is the worst I’ve seen it in Tom Allen’s seven years at the helm. Fifth year senior middle linebacker Aaron Casey (6’2″, 235 lbs.) leads the squad with 43 stops, followed by sophomore strong safety Phillip Dunnam (6’1″, 190) and senior free safety Louis Moore (6’1″, 190) with 35 and 25, respectively.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more.