Tag: Colorado

Michigan vs. Colorado Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Jabrill Peppers. Michigan struggled to run the ball yet again, but Peppers had 2 carries for 24 yards in this one. He also had 204 all-purpose yards, including a 54-yard punt return touchdown. Michigan shouldn’t wear out Peppers, but if he can be a difference-maker, he should be getting 5-10 touches on offense against the best opponents. I think it’s good to get him some early touches, and then if Michigan pulls away, they can stick with their regular offensive personnel.

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Michigan 45, Colorado 28

Jabrill Peppers (image via Fansided)

That went about how I expected. I didn’t think Colorado would jump out to a 14-0 or 21-7 lead early in the game, but I thought their tempo and creativity would be a problem for Michigan initially. Sometimes it takes Michigan a few minutes to get used to the other team’s tempo before they settle in, and that was the case against the Buffaloes. Maybe it’s because they don’t play against tempo in practice, but it takes an adjustment period. I also think some Michigan fans were underestimating Colorado based on their last few years, but they have a lot of experience, some quality receivers, and a pretty good quarterback on offense, along with a couple good corners and a couple solid front-seven players on defense. I predicted a 31-17 win for Michigan, so this was more of a high-scoring affair, but I knew it would be a fight.

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Preview: Michigan vs. Colorado

RUSH OFFENSE vs. COLORADO RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #45 in the country in rushing offense with 212.5 yards/game. They’re #36 in yards per carry (5.31) despite not having a running threat at quarterback. Freshman RB Chris Evans has received the most carries through two games, but starter De’Veon Smith missed a good chunk of game one after a rib injury. Those two seem to be the top two runners at this point, with Ty Isaac also getting a fair amount of looks with the top group. I think Michigan has been telegraphing their toss sweeps so far, though hopefully that’s due to fairly weak opponents. Over the past few years, the left side of the line has seemed to be strongest, but this year it appears to be center Mason Cole, right guard Kyle Kalis, and right tackle Erik Magnuson doing the heavy lifting. Starting left guard Ben Braden did not look very good last week when he returned from injury. Colorado is #29 in rush defense (95.5 yards/game) and is #74 in yards allowed per carry (3.98). That’s not a great ranking, especially when considering that the Buffaloes have only faced Colorado State and an FBS team so far. They run a 3-4 defense with a big nose tackle (Josh Lupou is 6’3″, 325 lbs.), and there’s a lot of experience all the way across the defense. The linebackers are undersized, and weakside inside linebacker Kenneth Olugbode (6’1″, 220 lbs.) is second on the team with 9 tackles. Both the outside linebackers are 230 lbs., and the game is mostly about speed. I’m not impressed with Lupou at NT and think Mason Cole can wear him down. If Michigan wants to run the ball, they need to run right at this 3-4 defense with De’Veon Smith and get them tired.
Advantage: Michigan

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