Tag: game preview

Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MSU RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #57 in rushing offense (170.7 yards/game) and #76 in rushing average (4.23 yards/carry), but they’re tied for #19 in rushing touchdowns (23), which shows how dedicated they are to the run when they get into the red zone. Freshman Zach Charbonnet (559 yards, 11 TD) and redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins (426 yards, 2 TD) have turned into a nice 1-2 punch in the backfield. The wild card for Michigan is quarterback Shea Patterson, who has been hesitant to keep the ball but already has more rushing touchdowns (5) than last year (2). Michigan State is #16 in rush defense (108 yards allowed/game), even after getting drubbed by Ohio State a few weeks ago, when they gave up 6.83 yards/carry on 49 attempts. Leading tackler Joe Bachie got suspended for the rest of the year for use of PEDs, which is the norm in East Lansing, so the leading available tackler is linebacker Antjuan Simmons (6’0″, 216 lbs.). Simmons and defensive end Kenny Willekes (6’4″, 260) lead the team with 12 and 9 tackles for loss, respectively.
Advantage: Michigan State

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Preview: Michigan at Penn State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PSU RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #79 with 156.2 yards per game on the ground, led by Zach Charbonnet’s 376 yards. Backup Hassan Haskins appears to be the hot hand right now after a 125-yard performance last week, but that was his first extended playing time. Michigan offensive guard Michael Onwenu was named to some mid-season All-American lineups, but overall, the offensive line has been a bit of a disappointment. Penn State is #3 in rush defense (53.3 yards allowed/game) and #1 in yards allowed per carry (1.59). The Nittany Lions have only allowed 1 rushing touchdown. Middle linebacker Micah Parsons (6’3″, 245 lbs.) leads the team with 31 tackles and is among the team leaders with 6 tackles for loss.
Advantage: Penn State

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Mini Preview: Michigan vs. Illinois

NOTE: This is a ridiculously busy week for me, and sometimes you just have to punt. I have a couple family members with medical issues, a bunch of stuff going on with football, and other stuff.

ROSTER NOTES

• Illinois players recruited by Michigan include: OL Verdis Brown, RB Mike Epstein, TE Luke Ford, LB Dele’ Harding, WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, QB Brandon Peters, WR Trevon Sidney, LB Khalan Tolson, QB Isaiah Williams
• Illinois QB Brandon Peters (questionable) transferred from Michigan
• Illinois LB Dele’ Harding (56 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 INT, 1 TD) was committed to Michigan in the 2016 class
• Michigan players from the State of Illinois include: LB Jordan Glasgow, RB Danny Hughes, OL Trevor Keegan, QB Michael Sessa, TE Will Sessa

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED

• On October 22, 2016, Michigan beat Illinois, 41-8
• Illinois QB Jeff George, Jr. completed 4/15 passes for 95 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Karan Higdon ran 8 times for 106 yards and 1 TD
• 14 different Michigan players ran the ball, and 11 different Michigan players registered at least one reception

PREDICTIONS

• Joe Milton throws and runs for a TD
• Josh Uche gets 2 sacks
• Michigan 38, Illinois 13

Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa

RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is kinda bad at running the ball. They rank #94 nationally (131 yards/game), and the 3.48 yards per carry is even worse at #106. Those numbers could be better if the option runs were actually options, but Shea Patterson won’t keep the ball and Dylan McCaffrey got knocked out cold the last time he did. It doesn’t appear to matter who lines up at running back right now, because the offensive line doesn’t want to move anyone off the ball. Iowa is #10 in rushing defense (77 yards allowed/game) and #36 in yards allowed per carry (3.42). No team has topped 91 rushing yards this season. Senior linebacker Kristian Welch (6’1″, 239 lbs.) leads the team with 31 tackles, and sophomore Djimon Colbert (6’1″, 235) is second with 23. Sophomore defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon (6’3″, 309) leads the squad with 2.5 tackles for loss. This looks like a bad matchup for the Wolverines.
Advantage: Iowa

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Preview: Michigan vs. Rutgers

RUSH OFFENSE vs. RUTGERS RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan’s pretty bad at running the ball, coming in at #97 nationally (127 yards/game) and #108 in yards per carry (3.5). Starting running back Zach Charbonnet (4.6 YPC) was limited last week, and backup Christian Turner (4.3 YPC) hasn’t shown much. That ineffectiveness is mostly due to an offensive line that can’t get movement and a starting quarterback who won’t run the ball when given a clear read to run the ball; the backup, who will run the ball, has a concussion and won’t play this week. Rutgers is #118 in rushing defense (218 yards allowed/game) and #108 in yards allowed per carry (4.88). Their best performance so far was allowing 277 yards and 4 touchdowns (on 61 carries) to Boston College in a 30-16 loss. Junior linebacker Tyshon Fogg (6’1″, 237 lbs.) leads the team with 33 tackles. Former Michigan linebacker Drew Singleton (6’2″, 233), a redshirt sophomore, should be the starting weakside linebacker despite just 12 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss so far this year. The defensive line is not particularly large or explosive.
Advantage: Michigan

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