game preview Archives - Page 23 of 37

4Nov 2016

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Preview: Michigan vs. Maryland

(image via Twitter)

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MARYLAND RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #14 in rush offense (249 yards/game) and #22 in yards per carry (5.37). Senior De’Veon Smith retook the rushing lead last week when freshman Chris Evans played sparingly due to a concussion he suffered two weeks ago, but four players have 348+ yards. One to watch is sophomore Karan Higdon (7.6 yards/carry, 6 TDs), who seems to be gaining more and more trust from the coaches. Michigan’s offensive line struggled with Michigan State’s defensive line last week – especially Malik McDowell – but Maryland isn’t so talented on the defensive line. They’re #108 in rushing defense (220 yards allowed/game) and #96 in yards allowed per carry (4.8). The team is led by Shane Cockerille with 73 tackles; Cockerille was recruited by Michigan as a QB/S athlete and has grown into a 6’2″, 235 lb. ‘backer. Defensive tackle Kingsley Opara has 8 tackles for loss, but the defensive line is slightly undersized and lacks a dominant nose tackle to plug the middle. They’ll slant a lot and try to hit gaps, and it will be up to Michigan’s offensive linemen to wash them out of the play.
Advantage: Michigan

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21Oct 2016

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Preview: Michigan vs. Illinois

RUSH OFFENSE vs. ILLINOIS RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #15 in the country with 255 yards/game and tied for #13 (with Illinois) at 5.67 yards/carry. Pre-season afterthought Chris Evans leads the team with 400 yards on 8.3 yards/carry, though he’s just third on the team in carries behind De’Veon Smith (336 yards, 5.5 yards/carry) and Ty Isaac (297 yards, 5.6 yards/carry). It would be remiss of me not to mention fullback Khalid Hill, whose meager 1.6 yards/carry on 13 attempts has netted 7 touchdowns – he’s the goal-line guy. Illinois is #86 in rush defense (185 yards allowed/game) and tied for #78 in yards allowed per carry (4.32). Linebacker Hardy Nickerson (6’0″, 230 lbs.) leads the team by a wide margin with 58 tackles, but two of the next three guys are defensive backs. Defensive end Carroll Phillips (6’3″, 240 lbs.) has made 11 tackles for loss this season. He made 9 TFLs in the first three games (Murray State, North Carolina, Western Michigan) and has just two in the last three games (Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers). The other end, Dawuane Smoot, is also pretty disruptive (8 TFLs). The Illini have a solid defensive line, but their linebackers leave something to be desired. Michigan’s offensive line has taken a step forward this year, so it won’t be the easiest of sledding, but the Wolverines should do a pretty good job against an undersized front.
Advantage: Michigan

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7Oct 2016

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Preview: Michigan at Rutgers

RUSH OFFENSE vs. RUTGERS RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #36 with 210 yards/game and #40 with 4.9 yards/carry. De’Veon Smith (325 yards, 2 TDs) continues to be the bell cow, but Ty Isaac (198 yards, 2 TDs) stepped up with a more decisive effort last week. Karan Higdon (145 yards, 3 TDs) didn’t play last week after a breakout game two weeks ago, and Jim Harbaugh said the reason did not have to do with injury. The team will be affected by the significant knee injury to left tackle Grant Newsome, who will be replaced by redshirt sophomore Juwann Bushell-Beatty. Rutgers is #116 in rushing defense as they give up 227 yards/game, though their 5.26 yards allowed/carry is good enough for . . . #115. While not quite as devastated by injury as Penn State, the Scarlet Knights are missing defensive end Quanzell Lambert and their best linebacker, Greg Jones. The top tackler is safety Kiy Hester (36), followed by sophomore linebackers Deonte Roberts (33) and Trevor Morris (30). Defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick and Hester each have 5 tackles for loss.
Advantage: Michigan

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30Sep 2016

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Preview: Michigan vs. Wisconsin

RUSH OFFENSE vs. WISCONSIN RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan has sneaked into the top 30 in rushing offense with almost 230 yards/game, and they’ve managed to get to #20 in yards/carry at 5.41 without a QB who’s a threat to run. Four players have between 22 and 39 carries, so it’s a running-back-by-committee situation, even if De’Veon Smith is the unquestioned starter. In fact, the numbers look like vintage Wisconsin running backs with all four of those guys (Smith, Ty Isaac, Karan Higdon, Chris Evans) averaging 4.6 to 7.3 yards/carry. The offensive line had perhaps its best performance of the year against Penn State last week, though PSU’s skeleton crew of linebackers were unable to do much. I named Erik Magnuson the MVP of the game, and Pro Football Focus ended up agreeing that he was very good. Wisconsin is #10 in rush defense, giving up just over 80 yards/game, and they’re #27 with 3.19 yards allowed/carry. They have only allowed 1 rushing touchdown this season, and that includes games against potential Heisman winner Leonard Fournette and run-heavy Michigan State. Inside linebacker Jack Cichy (6’2″, 233 lbs.) leads the team with 23 tackles, and outside linebacker T.J. Watt (J.J.’s 6’5″, 243 lb. brother) is second with 18 stops. Watt is tough on the edge, but Cichy is the run-stopper up the middle and has the ability to slice into gaps for TFLs. This is the best linebacker crew Michigan will face all season, except maybe Ohio State. I really like the way they play ball. The defensive line is so-so, despite having a 340 lb. nose tackle in Olive Sagapolu. Michigan has put up good stats against weak or weakened opponents this year, but the Badgers will be tough to run against, even if the rumors are true that outside linebacker Vince Biegel won’t play due to injury (UPDATE: while writing this, he was indeed ruled out after having foot surgery).
Advantage: Wisconsin

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23Sep 2016

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Preview: Michigan vs. Penn State

This is Zoe Pugh, who is supposedly a PSU student (image via 10worthy)

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is averaging 198 yards/game on the ground, which is #52 in the country, and they’re doing it at 4.9 yards/carry, which is 49th. The Wolverines have also scored 9 rushing touchdowns, which is good enough to be tied for 19th. The team’s leading rusher is still backup Chris Evans, boosted by his 8-carry, 112-yard performance against Hawaii in the opener; he has added 19 carries for just 45 yards since. Starter De’Veon Smith had his best game of the year last week when he carried 11 times for 87 yards. Michigan ran 7 variations of jet sweeps last week, getting the ball to the likes of Jehu Chesson, Eddie McDoom, and Jabrill Peppers. It’s actually rather impressive that they have so many jet sweeps in their repertoire. The Nittany Lions are a little weak on the edge, and Michigan has struggled to create a push up front, so I imagine the Wolverines will continue to use the jet sweep this week; Chesson had a 20-yarder against PSU last year. Penn State is #92 against the run (176 yards allowed/game) and tied for #84 in yards allowed/carry (4.23). Those aren’t impressive stats, considering two of the first three opponents were Kent State and Temple (the other is Pitt, a pretty decent team). The two leading tacklers are safeties Marcus Allen (21) and Malik Golden (18), while the next two on the list are linebackers who are now injured. In fact, PSU runs a 4-3 defense but all three starting linebackers are hurt. Defensive tackle Parker Cothren and defensive end Torrence Brown are the leading active TFL guys with 3.0 each.
Advantage: Michigan

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