Tag: Donovan Edwards

Michigan 45, Ohio State 23

I was wrong. I predicted a 35-24 Ohio State victory, and it went almost exactly the opposite way. I didn’t expect Michigan’s offense to be able to keep up with Ohio State’s, especially if Blake Corum was unable to play. Oops.

Pound the rock. Ohio State held up very well against the run for much of the game. In the first half, Michigan rushed for just 20 total yards, including just 6 yards on 2 carries for Blake Corum. They also used C.J. Stokes on 2 carries for just 5 yards. The second half turned into a completely different story. An injured Donovan Edwards, wearing a cast on his right hand, took over the game, carrying the ball in his non-dominant hand. He finished with 22 carries for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. One was a 75-yarder where he outraced safety Lathan Ransom, and the other was a patient attempt where he waited for a crease and then gashed the Buckeyes for 85 yards. Even though Michigan wasn’t successful in the first half, they seemed to wear down Ohio State’s front.

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Michigan 34, Nebraska 3

Nebraska sucks! Yes. Yes, they do. Nebraska is a 3-7 football team with an interim head coach, no defensive playmakers except outside linebacker Garrett Nelson, and no quality FBS quarterback right now. Nebraska’s best play on Saturday was to call a pass and then let the quarterback scramble up the middle and hope he doesn’t hurt himself. Unfortunately, that play ended one too many times with the quarterback hurting himself. Meanwhile, the two quarterbacks, Chubba Purdy and Logan Smothers, combined for 9 rushing attempts and 40 total yards. The team ended up with 146 total yards, or exactly 106 yards that didn’t come on QB scrambles.

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Michigan 41, Penn State 17

This reminded me of 2021 Northwestern. Last fall Michigan played a completely overmatched Northwestern team. The Wolverines dominated that matchup . . . except for when Northwestern running back Evan Hull broke out on a 75-yard touchdown run. He ended up with 81 total rushing yards, and quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 14/29 for 119 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. It was one of those games where one huge play for the opposition really grinds your gears. Against Penn State yesterday, it was two big plays: a 62-yard run by quarterback Sean Clifford and a 47-yard interception return touchdown by Curtis Jacobs. Somehow the Nittany Lions were ahead 14-13 and 17-16 despite being totally unable to find any consistency on offense.

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Michigan 27, Iowa 14

J.J. McCarthy is pretty good. Discussions often begin and end with the quarterback play, and McCarthy played pretty well against a very good defense. I have seen some people being critical, but here are the numbers: 36/50 (72%), 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions over the past two weeks against Maryland and Iowa. He’s not putting up Baker Mayfield-type numbers, but he’s completing a ton of passes and mostly taking care of the ball. The only real qualm I have is he holds on to the ball a second too long sometimes. He did it last week against Maryland, and he did it once again against Iowa. It should have been a fumble against the Terrapins, and it was definitely a fumble against the Hawkeyes.

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Michigan vs. Hawaii Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Roman Wilson. It’s only on three total receptions, but this guy has 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. One touchdown was a 61-yard catch-and-run bubble screen against Colorado State, and the other was a 42-yard bomb against Hawaii. Good things happen when you run a 4.37 forty and have ball skills. He’s already playing quite a bit, but the speed and big play ability are really enticing.

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